Driving in Snow

[ber]

Driving in Snow

When driving in snow, gentle manoeuvres are the key to safe driving. Use all of the car’s controls - accelerator, brakes, clutch and steering - as gently (and progressively) as possible. Stopping distances are 10 times longer in ice and snow, so here are some more tips on safe driving:

●Select second gear when pulling away, easing your foot off the clutch gently to avoid a wheel-spin.

●Try to maintain a constant speed.

●To avoid having to change gear while climbing a hill, choose the most suitable gear in advance.

●To prevent skidding, choose third or fourth gear when driving downhill.
Always apply your brakes gently. Release them and de-clutch if the car skids.

What else should I do?
Always:

●Ask yourself: is my journey really necessary?

●Tell someone at your destination what time you expect to arrive.

●Make sure that your car is well-maintained.

●Plan your route carefully.

●Check the latest weather forecast.

●Keep a full petrol tank (during a bad snow storm it may be necessary to turn back or change routes).

●Keep your windscreen and windows clear. Keep an ice-scraper handy, and use the car defroster or a clean cloth to keep the windows free of mist.

What does gritting the roads do?

If the roads have not been gritted, the first fall of snow is very dangerous. Once gritted, there should be enough grip for careful driving. However, when snow becomes compacted and refrozen overnight then the greatest care must be taken. Ungritted roads will become impassable by most vehicles and even gritted surfaces can remain extremely slippery.

What should I wear?

Wear comfortable, dry shoes; snow-covered boots are liable to slip on the pedals, and can be cumbersome.

What should I have with me?

Carry an ice-scraper, de-icer, hot flask, food, blanket and (as part of your breakdown kit) a warning triangle and torch. Membership of a breakdown service is also advised. Also, pack some spare clothes and your mobile phone. It’s a good idea to pre-load your phone with relevant numbers, such as those of local emergency services.

What if I get stuck?
Whatever you do, don't continue to spin your wheels; you'll just find yourself in a deeper rut. Instead:

●Straighten the steering.

●If possible, pour sand, salt or gravel around the drive wheels to give them something to grab onto and improve traction.

●Put a sack or old rug/carpet in front of the driving wheels - again to give the tyres some grip.

●To clear a pathway, shovel snow away from the wheels and out from under the car.

●To prevent piled up snow from falling onto your windscreen and obscuring your view, clear snow from the roof as well as from windows.


What if my vehicle skids?

Don't use the brakes. Ease off the accelerator and steer slightly into the direction of the skid until you gain control. Turn with steady motions.

What if I drive an automatic car?

Under normal driving conditions (motorways, etc.) it’s best to select ‘Drive’ and let the gearbox do the work through the full gear range. In slippery snowy conditions, select ‘2’ to make driving much safer by limiting the gear changes and making you less reliant on the brakes. Many modern automatics have a ‘Winter’ mode which locks out first gear to reduce the risk of wheel spin.

Some final tips...

●Keep to main roads as they are more likely to be gritted and will be patrolled by police.

●Never let other speeding drivers lull you into a false sense of security.

●Only drive as fast as conditions allow.

●Don’t try to overtake.

●If local conditions are particularly bad, be prepared to wait a little longer for assistance from the breakdown organisations, as cases have to be prioritised.

>>> Driving in Snow - Consumer guides from BreakdownCover.co.uk

Captain J...

One note to add most modern vechicles have ABS brakes u should not press and release the brake pedal if u have ABS brakes as that is what ABS (antilock braking system) are for. U will
actually be defeating the purpose. Dont panic when u find the peddle kicking back that is the
ABS kicking in just keep the pedal firmly pressed

[nicegirlsarenice]

● If there's a ditch next to you, you may be able to use it for slowing down your vehicle.

I was driving down an incline today and I had to drive sideways kind of into the ditch just to stop skidding or otherwise would have gone straight through the back of the guy in front of me. It was okay, I was going really slowly... I knew the ditch was "available", and if it werent then I probably wouldn't have tried going down like that. NOT something to be recommended, I'm talking about an incline and not a steep hill.

There was a jeep behind me and they pulled to the part on the right-hand side of the road instead (across the two-way road), I assume they had started to skid and had to do that to avoid me or to be sure to avoid me. (there was also a large truck coming up in the opposite direction lol, but it was a good distance off and was probably turning off anyway).

And another thing, I simply can not resist using the brakes to slow down, sometimes it's impossible if there's a car near you. Just a little press on the brakes, as is sometimes recommended, not jamming. If you use the brakes and are steady with them, unless it's a bad incline like the one I was skidding down, eventually they will grind you to a halt. Otherwise, it's in to the side.

[hornylimerick]

deal with it ..lol

My pocket certainly did All because of doing a favour... No good deed goes unpunished lol

[sweet rebeka]

omg guys!!!!!!!!!!!! if you were more relexed when it's snowing.....i am sure you will drive better! htere are some other places where is more snow...and ppl are not complaining so much!

[dark-knight]

The most important thing I find is to avoid the brake as much as possible. Instead use the gearbox. Being in the right gear means different things at different times, depending on the situtation. A common mistake people make is keeping the revs too low. this only makes sense if your cruising or trying to save fuel. Having the revs a little higher means you have instant power and engine braking on tap. While this might sound counter intuitive, it also has the effect of increasing safety, because the engine is in such a responsive state there will be a shorter time distance between what you asked for and when the engine can deliver.

[hornylimerick]

omg guys!!!!!!!!!!!! if you were more relexed when it's snowing.....i am sure you will drive better! htere are some other places where is more snow...and ppl are not complaining so much!

I'd have to agree, isn't it a bit stupid everything here seems to virtually stop when theres a little snow??
We'd better ge used to it global warming and all that....

[alexanda]

Driving in Snow

When driving in snow, gentle manoeuvres are the key to safe driving. Use all of the car’s controls - accelerator, brakes, clutch and steering - as gently (and progressively) as possible. Stopping distances are 10 times longer in ice and snow, so here are some more tips on safe driving:

●Select second gear when pulling away, easing your foot off the clutch gently to avoid a wheel-spin.

●Try to maintain a constant speed.

●To avoid having to change gear while climbing a hill, choose the most suitable gear in advance.

●To prevent skidding, choose third or fourth gear when driving downhill.
Always apply your brakes gently. Release them and de-clutch if the car skids.

What else should I do?
Always:

●Ask yourself: is my journey really necessary?

●Tell someone at your destination what time you expect to arrive.

●Make sure that your car is well-maintained.

●Plan your route carefully.

●Check the latest weather forecast.

●Keep a full petrol tank (during a bad snow storm it may be necessary to turn back or change routes).

●Keep your windscreen and windows clear. Keep an ice-scraper handy, and use the car defroster or a clean cloth to keep the windows free of mist.

What does gritting the roads do?

If the roads have not been gritted, the first fall of snow is very dangerous. Once gritted, there should be enough grip for careful driving. However, when snow becomes compacted and refrozen overnight then the greatest care must be taken. Ungritted roads will become impassable by most vehicles and even gritted surfaces can remain extremely slippery.

What should I wear?

Wear comfortable, dry shoes; snow-covered boots are liable to slip on the pedals, and can be cumbersome.

What should I have with me?

Carry an ice-scraper, de-icer, hot flask, food, blanket and (as part of your breakdown kit) a warning triangle and torch. Membership of a breakdown service is also advised. Also, pack some spare clothes and your mobile phone. It’s a good idea to pre-load your phone with relevant numbers, such as those of local emergency services.

What if I get stuck?
Whatever you do, don't continue to spin your wheels; you'll just find yourself in a deeper rut. Instead:

●Straighten the steering.

●If possible, pour sand, salt or gravel around the drive wheels to give them something to grab onto and improve traction.

●Put a sack or old rug/carpet in front of the driving wheels - again to give the tyres some grip.

●To clear a pathway, shovel snow away from the wheels and out from under the car.

●To prevent piled up snow from falling onto your windscreen and obscuring your view, clear snow from the roof as well as from windows.


What if my vehicle skids?

Don't use the brakes. Ease off the accelerator and steer slightly into the direction of the skid until you gain control. Turn with steady motions.

What if I drive an automatic car?

Under normal driving conditions (motorways, etc.) it’s best to select ‘Drive’ and let the gearbox do the work through the full gear range. In slippery snowy conditions, select ‘2’ to make driving much safer by limiting the gear changes and making you less reliant on the brakes. Many modern automatics have a ‘Winter’ mode which locks out first gear to reduce the risk of wheel spin.

Some final tips...

●Keep to main roads as they are more likely to be gritted and will be patrolled by police.

●Never let other speeding drivers lull you into a false sense of security.

●Only drive as fast as conditions allow.

●Don’t try to overtake.

●If local conditions are particularly bad, be prepared to wait a little longer for assistance from the breakdown organisations, as cases have to be prioritised.

>>> Driving in Snow - Consumer guides from BreakdownCover.co.uk

Captain J...

First of all, Thank u!
Usually I dont read long posts,but this one was an exception. Really interensting.

[rimmerguy]

If you are unfortunate enough to get stuck in the snow , use 2nd gear to get more grip . A small shovel in the boot can do no harm . And also if you lower your tyre pressure to 20 psi in all tyres , this will give you a lot more grip , as there is more of the surface area of your tyres on the snow ( and dont forget to pump them back up when the snow clears )

[JAMESCORK]

omg guys!!!!!!!!!!!! if you were more relexed when it's snowing.....i am sure you will drive better! htere are some other places where is more snow...and ppl are not complaining so much!

I dont care what the conditions are baby.. Id drive to you.. ya sexpot ya...

[alexanda]

omg guys!!!!!!!!!!!! if you were more relexed when it's snowing.....i am sure you will drive better! htere are some other places where is more snow...and ppl are not complaining so much!

Do u drive, Rebeka?
If u do,then u should know how important is to have some good advice about driving in snow.