Drivers should press button to turn off safety function in four situations

Drivers should turn off one of the most important safety features in their cars under these extreme conditions, according to an expert.

YouTube tipster ‘ToyotaJeffReviews’ said motorists should consider turning off their traction control to get out of four sticky situations.

Traction control is a sophisticated system fitted in all modern vehicles which prevents road users from losing control.

The technology can detect when a tyre loses grip and slow down the rate of spin.

Alongside the ABS, it is a vital piece of software which prevents many accidents every year.

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However, motorists who find themselves beached may require the extra tyre spin to accelerate away and back onto the road.

Speaking on his YouTube channel, ‘ToyotaJeffReviews’ said: “If this is such a great safety feature, why in the world would you want to turn traction control off?

“The main reason I can think of is let’s say your car is stuck in mud or ice, or gravel or dirt or that type of thing. Sometimes we want to rock our car backwards and forwards, backwards and forwards. Reverse, drive.

“When you turn off the traction control button that is going to allow you to do that manoeuvre to hopefully get you out of that messy situation.”

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The traction control button is usually marked by a series of three-letter abbreviations. These can be either ASR, TSC, ESC or ESP depending on which vehicle you own.

Some buttons will also be marked with a modern car with skid marks coming out of the rear. Owners of more modern vehicles may find the feature located on their onboard infotainment system.

Most vehicles will not disable the traction control until you hold down the button for at least a few seconds.

This is an extra wall of safety to make sure owners don’t accidentally disable the system if they knock the button while driving.

Experts at Carwow supported the claims and stressed that wheelspin can be “useful” for gaining momentum to free a trapped car.

However, they stressed motorists shouldn’t consider turning it off unless it was absolutely essential.

They explained: “It’s an important safety feature that makes the roads safer for everyone, and turning it off means you instantly run a greater risk of skidding.

“It doesn’t matter how good a driver you are, your traction control system will always react faster and more effectively to a potential skid than you can. You should certainly keep it switched on in slippery driving conditions.”

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