7 Tips for Winter Driving in
Snow and Ice By John Lindsey
With the recent snowfall and ice storms that recently
swept across the country, I thought it might be helpful
to offer up some tips. I've lived in Missouri all my
life, and I've driven in these conditions enough to know
that there are certain precautions you can take to get
from point A to point B without too much trouble.
1) Let your car warm up! Seems simple
enough, but a lot of people dont give their car proper
time to warm up before trying to go somewhere. Letting
your car get ready for the drive is important, not only
because of its own running condition, but because you, the
driver, will perform better if you aren't shivering while
trying to navigate.
2) Warm your brakes up. If possible,
when you first start the trip, use your brakes while
giving your car gas to warm them up and scrape off any
frost that may be present. Brakes get just as cold as
everything else outside, and if the roads are slippery,
you want to make sure your brakes are doing everything
they can to stop you on ice and snow.
3) Give yourself time to stop. This
may seem simple, but so many people forget that braking
distance on packed snow or ice is at least tripled. If
you attempt a hard stop you are going to do nothing but
slide. Keep a large distance behind anybody in front of
you, and give yourself at least three times the normal
distance to slow down when approaching a stop sign or
intersection.
4) Dont slam your brakes! This is the
worst thing you can do when sliding. Be gentle on your
brakes! Your goal isnt to keep your wheel from spinning;
this will simply make your car slide uncontrollably.
Gently apply the brakes to slow the wheel down, and you
will keep control of your car.
5) Turn slowly. You simply can't turn
as sharply as you'd like. Give yourself a wide arc when
making turns. Angling your wheels too sharply will result
in your car sliding straight instead of turning in the
direction you were hoping your car would take you.
6) Turn into the slide! If that ice
and snow has your car sliding and your car is drifting one
way or the other, don't panic! If there is a lot of
traffic, turn your hazards on. Turn your wheels in the
direction you are sliding. If your front-end is veering
left, turn your wheels left so your car can get back on
track and you can re-adjust. If you attempt to correct
the slide by steering the other way, when your wheels
catch something they have traction on, your car will whip
around and, depending on your speed, potentially turn you
completely around.
7) Don't drive if you don't have to.
As careful as you might be, many drivers probably aren't.
Your best defense in snowy and icy conditions is to simply
not get out in them. If you can, wait a day or two for
road conditions to improve. If you have to get out, do
your best to take main roads that have already been
cleared, or if there are no clear roads, take side roads
to your destination and be cautious of any other cars on
the road.
I hope these tips help you to become a safer driver out
there. Once you get the hang of driving in these
conditions, it's not nearly as intimidating, but you have
to be cautious at all times.
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