Warning to drivers over using ‘off’ button that could cause you to crash your car

Drivers are being warned to avoid pressing the 'off' button in their car so that they don't increase their chances of crashing and hurting themselves or others.

Whether brand new or pre-loved, modern cars are full of all kinds of buttons and gadgets to get used to when you get the keys and sit in the driver's seat.

From turning on a heated steering wheel to putting on your fog light and de-misting your rear view mirror, you need to know what these mean before setting off so that you aren't messing around at the wheel and causing unnecessary hazards.

And for those who want to keep as safe as possible, there is one button you should never turn on unless you're in very specific circumstances.

Doing so could see you crash far easier than if you don't press it.

Over on TikTok, user @carknowledge_ told their 1.4 million followers to avoid pressing this button explaining why you really don't want to use it 99 percent of the time.

The account is one of the most popular car hack accounts to follow and includes a range of ways you can learn things about your car, from cosmetic to performance enhancing.

In the video, he says: "99 percent of drivers ignore this dangerous button in the car.

"The button I'm talking about is the 'off' button which is the vehicle body stabilisation system.

"Also known as the vehicle anti-skid system, this function is enabled by default. We must not touch it.

"Once pressed, the anti-skid system will automatically turn off. When turning sharply or accelerating sharply, the vehicle is very likely to slip or roll over."

In the UK, we know the system more by the phrase 'traction control'. And like he says in the video, you should not touch it in many instances because it essentially weakens your control of the car at high speeds and when cornering.

The system works by detecting when your tyres are losing grip on the road and entering wheel spin.

You're in trouble if this happens, so traction control will work to slow the spinning of the wheel to, ultimately, make it stop and regain traction.

When should you press the 'off' button and turn off traction control, then? Well, it's really only suited for specific weather conditions.

We're talking about icy or snow when your wheels cannot grip the road. That's no fun, so by disabling this you can spin the wheels more so to try and get the momentum needed to get that initial movement on the road. If you don't disable it, the system will keep detecting your wheel spin and cut out.

The same goes for if you're off road and in very muddy conditions.