7 Tips for Safe Winter Driving
Where I live, on the west coast of Finland, winter just arrived with the first real batch of snow. This means slow traffic as many vehicles haven't been switched to snow tires this early in the season.
I was doing a 60 mile trip yesterday, mostly on smaller rural roads where the snow is not spoiled by salt and heavy traffic, and I though to myself:
It's not really dangerous or difficult to drive on slippery roads as long as you know what to do and when, you just have to adopt a different style of driving and you'll be as safe as on dry summer roads. The danger is if you apply a summer driving style to winter roads.
Rule #1: Slow Down
Whatever you do you can never reach the same speed on a slippery road as on a dry one. Always plan for lower speeds and longer travel times.
Rule #2: Be Really Soft on The Pedals
Keeping your car on the road requires that the wheels have grip, that they are rolling at speed you are travelling.
When you break or accelerate too much the wheels will lock and lose all grip.
This turns your car into an object sliding in stead of rolling on the ice, you will have no control over it and it will go straight forward, or if the road is slanted it will slide off the road.
Accelerate and break like you had an egg under the pedal, really softly, and you'll have a lot more grip to play with.
Rule #3: Keep Your Distance and Slow Down in Time
You see the break light in front, jump on the breaks and nothing happens. Sliding into the car in front is one of the most common winter accidents.
The solution is to always maintain a good distance to the car in front, 100-600 feet depending on your speed and read conditions. If the car in front of you slows down, you should slow down in time so you can keep the distance.
Always slow down when you come to a crossing, even if you don't see any other cars near. This way if there's a surprise you will still be able to stop.
Rule #4: Break Safely
If you lose control when breaking it's usually because you locked the wheels of your car by breaking too much. If you find yourself sliding for a ditch or slowly starting a spin just release the breaks for a second or two to regain control and then continue breaking.
Sometimes the only way to avoid a accident is to not break at all and instead steer clear of the obstacle. This method do require some practise though as the instinct is to push the break pedal as hard as you can.
If you car has an automatic braking system (ABS) it will take care of releasing the breaks for you, letting you steer and break at the same time. But if it's really slippery even your ABS might lose control and in that case do as above, stop breaking for a second or two and then when you're in control try breaking again. Read more about your ABS system in your cars manual.
Rule #5: Accelerate Safely
Basically your car can either steer or accelerate. On dry roads there is enough grip to both steer and accelerate at the same time, but not on snow and ice.
Never accelerate when you drive through a bend, you need your grip to handle the turning. If you need to accelerate and the bend is light you can do it slowly, but if you lose grip stop the acceleration.
When accelerating too aggressively a rear wheel drive car will lose grip at the read with the risk of spinning around while a front wheel drive car will lose grip in front and unable to turn it will go straight where it's heading.
You're car might have a traction control system (TCS) that will make sure you don't lose grip while accelerating. Read the cars manuals to find out how the TCS works on your vehicle.
Rule #6: Use Good Snow Tires
If your snow season is longer than a month you would do well getting snow tires. They will shorten your breaking distance and help you keep control of the car on slippery surfaces.
You may also want to check your local laws and regulations in case snow tires are mandatory, and if snow tires with studs are allowed or not.
Rule #7: Practice and Learn
If you have a safe place to practice ice driving, do it! Nothing can prepare your for an emergency like trying to break and avoid an obstacle on a slippery surface.
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