Driving on icy roads and piles of snow can be dangerous—even for motorists with years of driving experience. But as long as you take the necessary precautions, you don’t have to worry about involuntary sliding.
Here are some highly recommended winter driving tips to avoid motor accidents:
Avoid driving. Funny and fairly obvious, yes—but effective. If the weather is looking rather frightening and you’re not comfortable driving, then stay home and avoid risking your safety and that of other motorists. It’s that simple.
Don’t accelerate. When driving in bad weather conditions, you have to be patient. The quicker you accept that it’s not the time to be in a hurry, the less chances you’ll have of skidding or getting stuck in a snow pile. So to regain traction, press on the gas pedal lightly and accelerate gradually.
Drive below the speed limit. It’s normal for traffic to slow down during a snow storm or on ice-covered streets. Take your time to drive smoothly and steadily, and avoid stopping or turning in an abrupt manner. You’ll find you have more control over your vehicle.
Try not to make full stops. When your car comes to a full-stop, it takes a huge amount of inertia to get it going again, which increases the risk of skidding. You’ll have much less trouble on icy roads if you avoid stopping and keep your wheels rolling—especially if you’re going up a hill. Instead of powering-up, apply the gas and keep your wheels spinning. When going downhill, release the gas and slow down, applying the brakes softly where necessary.
If you haven’t begun to practice yet, register with us and learn to drive safety in any weather condition from our thoughtful instructors!
