when ABS was not yet widely available, the popular advice we got was to "threshold-brake", i.e., brake up to, but not exceeding the lockup point.

However, threshold-braking took too much skill for most people to be done properly in an emergency situation. Moreover, because of the car's dynamics & weight distribution (especially if there is only the driver on board), it was easy to lockup one rear wheel and make the car spin.

As such, there was another school of thought that told drivers to lock up all 4 tires as quickly as possible, making the car skid in a straight line (if the car is a manual, disengage the clutch as well). While this was happening, the driver was taught to steer the wheel towards a safe area/target, noting that it was easier to steer, with the tires skidding. After this, the driver reduced brake pressure just enough to let all 4 tires regain traction, with the fronts now providing steering action. Trail-braking (braking while steering) enhanced the front tire's cornering traction as well.

Needless to say, this school of thought became obsolete with the wide availability of ABS, Brake Assist and Stability Control systems. But nice to know if you have a non-ABS car.

In an emergency, most people will use the brakes to the max then give up. Accident-avoidance schools teach them to realize that they still have control of the car, via the steering wheel. And that your front tires' total traction is apportioned into braking and steering traction - use either to the max and you give up the other (some call this the "friction circle").

Race car drivers (e.g. F1) on the other hand, let go of the brakes (and the gas) just before impact - to protect their feet. If you think about this, it is quite un-instinctive.

For everyday driving, I believe that one must get familiarized with the skid and recovery characteristics of one's car - each car is different. In particular, one must get familiar with the "swing-back" that BlackMercedes refers to, so one can prepare for it. If the car has ABS, then all the more must the driver get familiar with the behavior of the car when it is invoked. A vacant parking lot in winter provides an excellent environment for testing this.

For understeer, the general remedy is to reduce power. But on oversteer, it depends if you have RWD or FWD.
- on a RWD car, countersteer and reduce power (unless it is one of those older Porsche 911s, where one must keep one's foot down on the gas, steer and hang on !!!).
- if you have a FWD or AWD car, countersteer and apply power.