What causes a front-wheel skid?

A front-wheel skid primarily occurs when a vehicle's front tires lose grip and are unable to maintain traction with the road surface. This can happen for various reasons, but excessive braking or acceleration is a common cause. When a driver brakes too hard or accelerates too aggressively, it can overwhelm the front tires, especially if the road is wet or slippery. As a result, the tires can lose their ability to steer the vehicle, leading to a skid where the front of the car slides in a straight line while the rear may continue to move forward. This makes it challenging for the driver to maintain control and steer the car in the intended direction.

Other factors like driving too fast on a straight road, taking turns too sharply, and leaving the road surface can contribute to loss of control, but they do not specifically target front-wheel traction as effectively as excessive braking or acceleration does. For example, taking a turn too sharply typically causes rear-wheel skids or loss of control in rear-wheel drive vehicles, and driving too fast on a straight road could lead to a loss of control but not specifically a front-wheel skid without additional factors like braking or acceleration. Thus, the correct answer focuses on the direct cause of front-wheel skids.