• 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
Erie Winter Driving Tips
By Brenda Bennett, CDI, CDRS, President, Transportation Solutions
There is nothing worse as a parent than when your child drives
to school and a snowstorm hits during the day. Your stomach is in
knots because your child has no experience driving in snow. Here
are some steps to keep everyone safe.
1. Stay off of I-90 in bad weather! However, stay on the main
roads as much as possible. They are plowed and salted first.
2. Make sure everyone has good tires on their vehicles. If you
slide every time you hit the brakes, it is usually the tires. I am
a big fan of winter tires—they truly make a difference.
3. Add cat litter to the trunk of the vehicle. The extra weight
will help with front-wheel-drive vehicles and sliding/
skidding, especially around corners. Cat litter also helps if
you get stuck—you can put it around your tires for traction.
4. Also be sure to have a shovel, gloves and jumper cables in
your trunk.
5. Every year, when the first snow hits, I drive to an empty
parking lot and firmly apply the brakes to get a feel for how
my brakes are going to react. This helps get the nerves out
of my system right off the bat.
West County | Winter 2016 | icmags.com 21