Some of the most hazardous driving conditions you’ll face are snowy road conditions. The slippery surface makes it very difficult to gain traction, so it could be life-saving knowledge to know how to drive on ice. Today, while driving in icy weather, we are going to look at 5 things you need to remember.
Leave Earlier & Take Your Time
Taking your time and going slower than you would usually is the best advice you can take while driving in icy weather. Before you depart, you can consider taking some extra time so you can take your time while still arriving on time at your destination. Driving slowly will reduce the risk of getting into an accident significantly. Not to add, if you do happen to lose track and hit something, this would also minimize the amount of damage your vehicle will get.
Using Your Brakes Wisely
Although brakes are commonly used to help stabilize your vehicle and bring you to a stop in and out of emergency situations, if used improperly on ice, they may do more harm than good. Slamming on your brakes will bring your vehicle into an uncontrollable skid in icy conditions. What you want to do is drive slowly enough to allow your car’s weight to bring your vehicle to a halt if necessary. Slowly pump your brakes to stop locking up your tires if you need to use your brakes on ice.
How To Steer Out Of A Skid
Skidding refers to losing control of your car on ice and slipping without traction around the ice. A number of drivers freeze up or overcorrect during a skid, causing them to spin out of control. To get out of a skid safely, you’ll want to slowly turn into the skid and pump your brakes slowly to try to prevent traction. Slowly shift your steering wheel back into place to drive out of your skid as you feel your car recover traction and start to straighten out. This does not necessarily mean finishing in the same direction, often simply reducing the amount of skidding you would have done if you overcorrected or froze up.
Keeping An Eye On Changing Temperatures
Icy driving conditions arise when, due to a drop in temperature, water on the road freezes. A perfect way to stay on top of changing road conditions is to watch the outdoor temperatures. A smart way to decide where you may need to check for ice patches on the road is to use an in-car monitor showing outdoor temperatures. In order to see what you can expect, you can simply check the temperature changes before leaving the house if your car does not have this feature.
Do Snow Tires Work On Icy Roads?
Many people assume that in icy road conditions, winter tires and winter tires can help, similar to how they help on snow-packed highways. The response here is not that no additional traction on ice is applied. Icy roads are too slippery to make a difference to snow tires and tire chains, but if you already have them on your winter driving car, they will probably not hurt.