It has finally snowed! The roads are a bit slick, but no worries I have been driving on slick roads every winter for the past 14 years. Recently, I took a drive from Cleveland to Baltimore in the middle of a snowstorm, passed at least 50 cars off the road and it took me double the time it normally takes. During this drive, I came up with the following list:
Top 10 Ice and Snow Driving Tips!
- Slow Down! – #1 tip, drive significantly slower than if the roads were clear.
- Appropriate Tires – have all-season (or better yet snow tires) on your car; a BMW M3 with high performance tires is not going to make it up a hill, stay at home!
- Check your Tread Depth – if the tires are low on tread be extra careful, if they are bald and the core is visible, stay at home!
- Relax and Stay Calm – Sudden braking, accelerating and/or turning is problematic; slowly take your foot off the gas if you start to slide until you regain control. See #5.
- Turn into a Slide – If the back end is going right, turn the wheel right. This is not necessarily instinctive, practice putting your car into a slide (at your own risk!) in an open parking lot and removing from it to learn.
- Anticipate Stopping – it’s going to take longer to stop, especially if you start sliding
- Do Not Pump Your Brakes – let ABS do the work, unless of course you do not have ABS…
- Leave Room – keep plenty of distance between vehicles, see #6.
- 4 Wheel Drive/All Wheel Drive – Just because you have it, doesn’t mean you will not slide. It only helps in accelerating and climbing hills.
- Slow Down! – See #1.
Are there any other important ones I missed? Please post in the comments!
Thanks for an explanation. All ingenious is simple.