You're flying down the highway at a brisk 70 miles per hour, keeping your eye on the road ahead and wishing this little compact car would get out of the fast lane. You've applied a little pressure through some friendly tailgating, and they still won't move. Eventually you back off a bit, just in time for a car coming the opposite direction to veer into your lane. What do you do? What. Do. You. DO?

Surviving dangerous driving conditions requires complete alertness, cool-headedness, and knowledge of how you should react in any given situation. You could encounter trouble on the road at any second, and you have to be ready to deal with each individual situation appropriately. These driving maneuvers can save your life if you remain calm and take the proper actions.

Winter Driving

Winter weather conditions lead to extremely treacherous driving. Black ice, slushy and wet roads, and decreased visibility can cause a lot of problems. The most important maneuvers for winter driving are:

Braking- In icy conditions, you are going to need more room to brake safely. Be sure to leave plenty of space between your car and the one in front of you. Braking maneuvers will be different depending on the type of brakes in your vehicle. If you have anti-lock brakes, press the pedal down firmly and hold it. If you don't have an ABS system, gently pump the pedal.

Controlling a Skid- If you hit a patch of ice and begin to skid, you need to remain calm and take your food off the accelerator. Do NOT hit the brake. Keep your eyes up so you can look where you want to go and steer in that direction. If you over correct a little, carefully turn the wheel the other way. It may take a few times to get it right, but don’t use the accelerator or the brakes until you have regained control over the steering.

Driving in the Rain

Rainy weather may not have all the dangers of snow and ice, but there are still some situations that require caution. Part of this is due to impaired visibility, but a bigger threat may be hydroplaning.

Avoiding Hydroplaning

Still waters carry the risk of making your wheels lose contact with the road. In other words, it may just be water, but it has the same effect as black ice. That means you handle hydroplaning the same way. Take your foot off the accelerator, look and steer in the direction you want to go, and don’t accelerate or brake until your tires once again make contact with the road.

Road Obstructions

Everything from animals to rocks to people can get in your way while you’re minding your own business. You have to be ready to handle almost anything.

Avoiding Animals

There are a lot of opinions on how to deal with animals on the road. If a deer gets in your way, for example, some people believe you should speed up so the force of the acceleration will angle the car upward – hopefully reducing the chances of the animal going through the windshield. In truth, any impact at speed is going to be bad. Try to slow down as much as you can and maneuver to avoid any large animals. Small animals are a different situation. Always avoid them if possible, but it may not be worth the risk of losing control of your vehicle.

Oncoming Traffic

Two vehicles colliding head on is one of the worst possible situations on the road. It happens so suddenly that you almost never see it coming. This is why they recommend watching 30 seconds ahead so you can spot trouble before it reaches you. If someone is coming right at you, you should:

Minimize the Impact – Honk your horn and flash your lights – anything to get the driver’s attention – and then move as far over as you can. Slow down as much as possible. This is physics at work. Your high speed and his high speed add up to seriously high speed collisions. If you can reduce one end of that equation, you will have a chance to minimize some of the impact.

Evasive or defensive driving maneuvers can save your life in these dangerous situations. No one knows how they will react in life-threatening circumstances until they are actually face to face with them. However, if you are aware of your surroundings and focus on maneuvers like these, you will know exactly what to do when the time comes.