Special section: WINTER DRIVING SAFETY
• Drive slowly. Everything takes longer on snow-covered roads.
Accelerating, stopping and turning—nothing happens as quickly
as on dry pavement. Give yourself time to maneuver by driving
slowly.
• The normal dry-pavement following distance of three to four
seconds should be increased to eight to 10 seconds. This increased
margin of safety will provide the longer distance needed if you
have to stop.
• Know your brakes. If you have anti-lock brakes (ABS) and need to
slow down quickly, press hard on the pedal—it’s normal for the
pedal to vibrate a bit when the ABS is activated. In cars without
ABS, use “threshold” braking, keeping your heel on the
floorboard and using the ball of your foot to apply firm, steady
pressure on the brake pedal.
• Don’t stop if you can avoid it. There’s a big difference in the
amount of inertia it takes to start moving from a full stop versus
how much it takes to get moving while still rolling. If you can slow
down enough to keep rolling until a traffic light changes, do it.
• Don’t power up hills. Applying extra gas on snow-covered roads
just starts your wheels spinning. Try to get a little inertia going
before you reach the hill and let that inertia carry you to the top.
As you reach the crest of the hill, reduce your speed and proceed
downhill as slowly as possible.
• Don’t stop going up a hill. There’s nothing worse than trying to
get moving up a hill on an icy road. Get some inertia going on a
flat roadway before you take on the hill.
• Stay home. If you really don’t have to go out, don’t. Even if you can
drive well in the snow, not everyone else can. n
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