Car Spun Out Twice on highway? Why?

Okay so I'm pretty young, 18, and have only been driving for a year and a half. I'm a decent driver though and do a lot of highway driving as I commute 40 minutes to school each day. Today my friend and i were driving home on the highway, it was raining quite a bit, and when we were going up on to the highway, only about 35 mph, we spun out. Luckily didn't hit anything. We thought it was a freak thing so we kept going, very slow, like 30 mph. Then it happened AGAIN when we were slowing down to go down a ramp to get off the highway. We spun out and luckily only hit a rail very slightly. I want to know what I can do to prevent this and the future and if anything, like worn tires, can make spinning out more prone to happen? It just seemed strange as we were going very slow and still kept spinning out. I have a 2004 ford focus if that matters.

Sounds like bald tires in the rain - very dangerous. You should also check the pressure. But even with good tires, too much throttle or brakes in a turn at any speed can cause loss of traction. You have less traction in the rain. You may be able to recover by correcting the brake or throttle and steering the car in the direction you want to go. However this requires quick and precise reflexes and most people over correct the first few times. Practice in a wet or snowy parking lot with no other car, people, lamp posts, etc. Or police. Another place to practice is local club racing autocross events.

It sounds like you hydroplaned and lost control, especially if you were going straight and nothing else.

Its a different feeling, it feels like the car is floating but still moving is the best way to describe it. And since the focus is light, its easier for it to hydroplane.

When this happens in the future, let your foot off the gas and get a good hold of the wheel. If you start to lose control, I would let go of the wheel, as countersteering is something to be practiced on a track

You hit a puddle of standing water too fast and lost traction causing the car to spin out of control. It is called hydroplane.

You need to have your car looked at by a good mechanic before you drive it very far or fast.

1. Driver error
2. Driving too fast for conditions (see 1)
3. Tires of poor quality and/or poor condition
4. All of the above

Hydroplaning (when the tires float on a thin film of water or oil) was thought only to occur at 200 mph plus, but the death of a member of the British government in a single car accident led to more systematic research. It seems that it can happen in rain, even with good tires, at a mere 50 mph. If you have bald tires or ones improperly inflated, it can occur at much lower speeds. It happened once to a car that overtook me at about 55 mph on a cloudless day in Trinidad and Tobago (within a few degrees of the equator). Heat had made the alphalt smooth and his tires were worn, and he spun right around twice before coming to rest on the grass at the side of the road.
See your tires are in good condition, and properly inflated, that your wheels are balanced and in alignment. Then keep your speed down in rain or frost, and change speed and direction as gently as traffic conditions permit.