Driving Tips for Winter

Driving Tips for Winter

Driving Tips for Winter

Get winter tires

First of all, you should see to it that your car is equipped with winter tires. The tread of these tires is softer than normal tires and are therefore able to spread themselves over the ground. Since more areas of the tread are in contact with the ground, they can get a better grip on it.

Regulate the speed at which you drive

Because winter roads are often wet and slippery, the speed of the car needs to be considerably reduced and regulated. As such you must stay away from cruise controls and the overdrive shift. There should be enough room between you and the other car to make an allowance for that fact that cars will be harder to stop when the road is wet. A car may still travel a few inches or feet between the time you stepped on the brakes and the time it came to a full stop.

Just as you need to press the accelerator lightly and gradually, so do you have to do the same for the brakes. Slamming your feet on the brakes can only results in the car's skidding, because of which you may crash into the side of the road or into another car. If you feel the wheels are losing traction, ease your foot off the brakes.

Stay away from high gear

For that matter, avoid high gear in order to keep the car from losing traction and staying firmly on the ground. This is of paramount importance when negotiation up and down hills. Upward slopes which are wet present considerable danger of sliding back down if the car wheels can't grip the road well. Downward slopes need special attention to be paid to putting just the right pressure on the brakes to keep the car rolling steadily downwards.

Stay away from icy roads

To avoid ice on the road, approach bridges and like structures with caution because these are the ones on which ice forms quickly. Don't go in the same direction as snow plows because those areas are where snow is thickest. Wait until the snow plow has cleared the way for you.

How to regain control

Skidding back wheels should be countered by steering the front wheels opposite direction. This will stop the back wheels and pull them in towards the opposite direction. When that happens, steer the front wheels in that opposite direction again. This may have to be repeated until the car is oriented straight ahead again.

Skidding front wheels will have to be left alone until they turn sideways and get a better grip on the road. Don't press on the gas and switch to neutral gear. When the tires get more traction, you can guide them to go straight forward by accelerating slowly and gently.

Getting out of a fix requires determination

If ever you find your car stuck in snow, don't rotate the wheels because they will just dig deeper into the soft ground. The thing to do in this situation is to clear the snow in front and on the sides of the wheels, you can do this by steering the wheels as far to the right and to the left as you can without pressing on the gas. Shovel of the snow on the sides and underneath the stuck tires. Throwing sand and salt underneath and in front of the wheels helps the tires get traction again. Run the car backwards and forwards to remove the snow in the road and shovel out the snow. Eventually your tires will get enough traction to lift the car out of the hole.

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