About now, snow is likely in many parts of the country. We can expect freezing rain, sleet, wet snow, powdery snow, wet roads, icy roads, an overabundance of salt and sand on the roadway, slush, slop, bitter winds and other miseries, sometimes all in the same day.
You can’t do anything about the weather, but you can help yourself cope with it.
The two common hazards in winter driving are poor visibility and reduced traction. And few universal rules apply: Start early, take your time and don’t make any sudden moves.
Visibility is something you can improve. The windows are the obvious place to start. Start the engine, turn the heater on to its highest temperature setting and put it on defrost. Turn on the rear-window defroster.
If you have only frost on the glass, start scraping the side windows while the windshield is getting warmed by the defroster. Clean side-view mirrors.
With snow, start with the roof, then the windows, then the front and rear deck, then the lights and bumper areas. What you leave on the roof may slide off and block your rear view or it may fly off and bother another driver.
What you leave on a rear deck may slide down to the bumper. Bumpers act like shelves on many cars, holding snow and blocking tail or stop lights. If you don’t keep bumpers and lights clear, those following may never know you’re trying to stop until it’s too late. And you might earn a ticket.
If you are driving in rain, snow, fog or overcast conditions, make yourself more visible by turning on headlights (not your high beams, please). Greyhound buses cruise with lights 24 hours a day, even in bright sun, because field testing has proven that it makes the buses more visible and reduces accidents.
Reducing your speed can be sensible even if it isn’t raining or snowing. In below- or near-freezing temperatures, water on bridges will freeze before the roadway.
Rain reduces visibility and the road friction between your car’s tires and the road that allows you to move and control the vehicle. Icy rain or slush is worse than summer wetness. Avoid jackrabbit acceleration, hard braking or moves that can result in a skid.
If you do skid, it is most likely that it is the rear wheels that have lost grip. Try to steer in the direction the car is sliding. With a manual transmission, disengage the clutch and coast; with an automatic, take your foot off the gas–don’t try to fiddle with the shifter. As you regain control, be gentle with the steering wheel and accelerator. As the tires regain grip, adjust the steering to the direction you want to travel.
If the front wheels are sliding–less common than rear-wheel skids–declutch the gearbox in a manual and remove your foot from the gas pedal. Don’t try to steer. Straighten the front wheels and wait for them to regain traction as the car slows. Of course, this assumes you have a little room to maneuver.
In rain or slop, you may encounter hydroplaning, especially if you’re speeding. If the tire can’t shed water fast enough, a wedge of water builds up ahead of it, and a film of water is established between the tire and the road. Your tire is no longer in contact with the road, and there is no friction. Don’t move the steering wheel. Declutch or get off the gas and let the car coast until it regains traction. Hydroplaning is less likely with front-wheel drive, but it does occur.
In snow, keep plenty of distance between you and the driver in front. Signal early and don’t rush. You are better off following the beaten track, though it is often more slippery in the polished ruts. The ridges of packed snow tend to guide the car in the track. If you must pass, you will need more room than usual and may have trouble crossing those ruts. Approach the ruts at a shallow angle at a speed only slightly higher than the rest of traffic to avoid a skid.
Most drivers know about snow, slush and ice, but one slippery situation seems to escape the notice of many: saline-soaked pavement. In temperatures near freezing, roads that have been heavily salted can be especially hazardous. The salty solution remaining after the snow melts is somewhat oily and can be as dangerous as ice.
Salt also complicates visibility. Before you start out, be certain your windshield-washer reservoir is full and the wiper blades clean. A paper towel run along the edge of the blade will pick up a surprising amount of crud that otherwise would be spread all over the windshield.
Braking in snow or slush can be hazardous, so allow enough room to avoid a panic stop. Anticipate stop signs, intersections, traffic lights (assume they’re about to turn red; they probably are). Apply the brakes gently.
If you don’t have anti-lock brakes, resist the urge to slam the pedal and hold it there in an emergency. Your brakes will lock the wheels, and the car will skid. Hit the brake fairly hard, then ease off to the point at which you have braking action but not wheel lock. Slow pumping–squeezing of the pedal–is effective. If you have ABS the opposite applies. Slam the brake pedal and hold it down–hard. Do not pump ABS or you could lose control. ABS prevents wheel lock, but it doesn’t add traction. How quickly you can stop determines how fast you should be driving.
If you are not going to stop in time and can’t steer around hazards, look for something soft to hit (not a pedestrian). Sliding along a snow bank may slow you enough to prevent major damage in a collision. It is better, too, to risk sideswiping a parked vehicle than to hit a vehicle moving toward you.
If you get stuck in the snow, don’t sit there spinning your wheels; it will make things worse. It can also overheat the tire to the point of explosive blowout. Shovel snow away from the wheels or use sand, ashes or traction mats to help regain footing. In most cars, only one wheel at a time will spin, but you can trick a rear-wheel-drive car into using both wheels by pulling on the emergency brake a couple of notches.
Rocking back and forth is the usual prescription for working out of this difficulty, but you can ruin a transmission doing it.
