If you find yourself driving in hazardous road conditions, the most important thing to remember is to drive slowly and give yourself plenty of stopping room. Many people do not realize how much of a distance is required to stop while driving on icy roads. This is an important piece of knowledge. You should give about three times the amount of space between you and the car in front of you as what you normally do. The same goes for approaching stoplights, stop signs, and crosswalks. Also, slowing down will give your tires better traction, and enable you to regain control should you begin to slide. Slower is safer.
If you need to slow down, it is crucial to know that you cannot brake like you usually can on dry roads. Slamming on the brakes will result in an accident, unless you have an Anti-Locking Brake System (ABS), which is discussed further in “Knowing Your Vehicle’s Capabilities”. For regular braking systems you will need to pump your brake pedal rather than slamming it down. When you hit the brakes (without ABS) the brakes lock up, which causes the tires to completely stop moving. This turns your car into a sled (without all the fun), and causes you to rapidly lose control.
So, what do you do if you need to slow down quickly? Push down on the brakes and let off repeatedly. The brakes will slow the car down and you only lose traction for an instant. As you let off the brakes you regain traction and control. Doing this repeatedly slows you down while maintaining control. However, this causes you to slow down much slower than normal, which is why you should give yourself plenty of space to stop. A good suggestion is to find an empty parking lot and try practicing this technique. Your own personal experience is worth a thousand words of advice, and prepares you for an inevitable emergency.
If you have an ABS system, then it is appropriate to firmly press and hold the brake pedal down. ABS is designed to simulate the “brake pumping” action of normal brakes. As you firmly hold the brakes down, you will feel a rumbling vibration. This is normal for ABS brakes. For more information, check out “Knowing Your Vehicle”.
If you begin to slide, start using your brakes as previously described. If your car begins to sway from side to side on the ice (also called “fishtailing”), turn the wheel in the direction of the skid. This should help to steer your car back on the right track. If you turn away from the skid, it will throw your car into an out of control spin.
While driving in temperatures close to or below freezing, it is not wise to attempt passing other vehicles. The driving lanes are the safest place to be. Sudden movements or accelerating is not a good idea. Even on a multi-lane road such as Highway 20, passing other vehicles can be dangerous. Semi-trucks are especially dangerous to pass because of the amount of icy debris that their tires can throw onto your windshield.
If you need to pull over, try to find a clear place or a parking lot to pull into. Pulling over on a shoulder could be dangerous because it places you in front of other vehicles that could lose control. Also, if you pull over where snow has accumulated, you may get stuck (see Accidents and Getting Stuck).
Another smart idea is to leave your lights on to increase your visibility. This will also help you to be more visible to other motorists. This sounds painfully obvious but most people are surprised to see how little they can actually see in snowy weather. That isn’t a lesson you want to learn the hard way. As visibility is so important, make sure that your windshield is very clear (see “Preparing Your Vehicle for Winter”). It is worth the extra time it will take to clear off the ice that has accumulated over night. This may take a few cups of lukewarm water (hot water can crack your windshield) and a few strokes with your ice scraper. If you don’t have an ice scraper, a simple shopping card will do.
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