Snow and Ice
If you can manage, the best decision you can make is to avoid driving in bad winter weather altogether. Stay home until the plows and salt trucks have made their rounds, and when you do leave, give yourself extra time to get where you’re going. If you insist on driving in extreme conditions, make sure your car has been winterized and that you are capable of driving under the circumstances. If you think you need more experience, hone your winter driving skills in an empty, snowy parking lot to familiarize yourself with how your car will respond. Check the owner’s manual for tips on handling your vehicle.
Driving on snowy and icy surfaces
- Slow down and increase your stopping distance. Allow yourself three times more space between you and the car ahead of you than you would in normal conditions.
- Ease up when you apply the brakes to keep from sliding. If the wheels lock up, slowly lay off the brake.
- Turn your headlights on to alert other drivers of your presence on the road.
- Make sure your headlights and windshield stay free of dirt and grime.
- Use low gears (i.e. second or third) to improve traction, especially on steep inclines.
- Refrain from using cruise control or overdrive on slippery roads.
- Use greater caution when crossing bridges or driving on overpasses and other rarely traversed roadways because these will freeze first. These areas may still be icy when the temperature rises above freezing if they are wet; ice may accumulate in shaded places or on open roadways such as bridges.
- Don’t drive near or pass snow plows and salt trucks because there is a good chance they won’t see you. Also, remember that the road ahead of them is probably worse than the road behind.
- Even if you have a four-wheel drive vehicle, don’t take it for granted that it can breeze right through any situation. Four-wheel drive vehicles can have the same problems in winter weather as a front-wheel drive vehicle can.
If your front wheels lose their traction:
- Remove your foot from the accelerator, put the car in neutral, and don’t attempt to steer right away.
- And begin to skid sideways, this will help lower your car’s speed, and it will get a better grip on the road. As traction improves, turn the wheel in the direction you need to go. Next, put the vehicle in drive or release the clutch if you’re driving a standard, and gradually speed up.
If you get stuck:
- Do not slam on the gas because the wheels will spin, and you will only dig yourself deeper.
- Turn the steering wheel all the way to the right and all the way back to the left to push snow away from the wheels. Repeat the process as necessary.
- Tap the gas to ease the car from the spot.
- Shovel snow from around the wheels and the car’s undercarriage to increase the amount of room to maneuver.
- Dump salt, gravel, sand, or even kitty litter behind or in front of the wheels to provide additional traction.
- See if you are able to “rock” the vehicle by shifting from drive to reverse and back to drive. Each time the gear clicks in, tap the gas until the vehicle starts creating some space and is eventually able to gain enough momentum to free itself.