Snowflakes. They’re gentle. They float. They drift and land in silence. And yet when you get a bunch of them together, you have a very dangerous situation on your hands when you’re driving. You may have driven in the snow before, but that doesn’t mean that you have much of an idea of how to stay completely safe on the road. If you have children in the car, safety should be at the very forefront of your mind.
The one thing that you don’t want? To end up in a ditch because you didn’t heed safety advice. Your safety is vital and the best thing that you can do in this upcoming winter is learn how to drive safely in the snow. With the rules below, you can arrive at your destination in one piece – whether snow showers or sunshine remain outside.
Go Slowly. Start smoothly when you’re on a snowy road. You need to keep the brakes, accelerator and steering wheel running smoothly and steady while you drive. Jerky movements can easily make you lose your grip on an icy surface. Every single turn and movement must be as gradual as possible. The best way to do it? Drive as if you have a cup of coffee balanced on your leg – one sharp move and you’re getting burnt!
Look Where You Want To Go. If you feel your car beginning to skid across, you need to look where you want to be rather than where the car is skidding toward. You always want to end up where you’re looking, and if you employ this technique, you may narrowly avoid a car accident and the dealings you’d have with a car accident lawyer. This is so important to keep calm and avoid a crash.
Breathe Through Skids. Panic? That’s the worst thing that you can experience when you begin to skid in your car. You’ll have to deal with it at some point, and the one way to bring the car back under control is to do the following:
- If the front tires are losing their grip, ease off the gas and the front tires should regain their traction. When you feel your control return, aim where you want to go.
- If the rear wheels are skidding out of control, quickly move the steering wheel in the direction of the sliding. Swinging to the left? Steer to the left. Once it’s gained some grip, it’ll be easier to move forward.
- Keep your wheels where you want them to go – no matter the type of skid.
Use Anti-Lock Brakes. Engage the anti-lock brake system on the car so that you can come to a stop quickly and easily. Every new vehicle is equipped efficiently with the right anti-lock system to ensure that you don’t lose control. The most amazing thing is that you can keep the brakes pressed down while steering around obstacles, and the internal computer will adjust the braking force at each wheel so you can maneuver right. Anti-lock brakes can’t prevent an accident, but they have saved many disasters in the past.
Know Your Grip. Almost every snowy drive will mean that you’ll be conscious of every ebb and flow along the road. The weather conditions change along the way, and you’ll feel every single one of them. You have your anti-lock brake system and stability control systems, and you can assess your traction along the way by:
- Make sure that there are no cars around you, then apply the brake while driving in a straight line.
- If there are any chatters under your foot on the brake, but you don’t detect much in the way of deceleration, then your anti-lock braking systems has activated.
Slowing down at a reasonable speed without the anti-lock brake system activating ensures that you’re on a surface with a better grip - If you see an amber light pop up, it’s best to pay attention to it and slow down where you can.
Four Wheel Drive Isn’t The Best Option! It may feel like a safer option, to have a four wheel drive, but they can lull you into a false sense of security on a slippery surface. Four wheel drive vehicles send their power to all four wheels instead of two, and that can make it feel like you have far more traction than you do in reality. Unfortunately, your ability to drive and turn in the snow and ice is no better than a regular vehicle, so don’t have high hopes that a four-wheel drive will be any different.
Add Winter Tires To The Car. It’s good for the car, but it’s good for your survival, too. Fitting winter tires could be the best thing that you do to improve the safety of your car. It’ll also make you feel like a more secure driver. The proper winter tires out there can give you a much better grip in slippery, icy surfaces. Speaking to a qualified mechanic can ensure that you remain much safer on the road.
Try To Avoid Blizzards. The last tip that we can give you is that you can avoid driving in blizzard conditions. You can’t always avoid the snow, but you can avoid driving in perilous conditions that could put you at risk. Driving in blizzard conditions can make you more anxious at the wheel, and it can thicken the snow on the ground and then freeze over in the cold wind. This can lead the car to skidding over and that can be dangerous on the road.
Being a snowflake seems to be a bad thing in this world, but that doesn’t apply when it comes to driving in the snowflakes! Stay vigilant and know how to keep an eye on the road ahead; even if it is completely white and not easy to see!
