As temperatures plummet in the winter months, the roads become more
treacherous, with darker days and longer nights just the tip of the iceberg (if
you'll pardon the icy reference). There's also the low visibility caused by heavy
rains and snow – plus the most dangerous conditions of all: icy roads and the
hard to see 'black ice'. When some or even all of these conditions combine,
then it can be all too easy to lose traction on the slippery road surface and
have an accident. Here are a few driving tips to help cope with the winter
roads and to help you avoid injury – or at the very least, a road
accident claim:
General driving on icy roads
The most basic
thing to remember when driving in wintry conditions is to drive more slowly
than usual and apply your brakes more gently. Make sure your visibility is maximized
with frequent use of the windscreen wipers and screen defroster. Be careful
about deploying brakes in general – on icy roads they can often do more harm
than good.
When making
turns, changing lanes or stopping give other drivers more warning than usual
with brake lights and indicators and keep your distance, as icy roads
mean significantly longer stopping distances. If a skid does occur, turn your
wheels into the direction of the skid to regain control.
Another point to
bear in mind is that ice remains slippery even when it is melting. Driving more
slowly allows your tires to push more water through their treads, thus
increasing traction.
Recovering from traction loss
There's nothing
quite like the gut-wrenching feeling of skidding while driving, and icy road
conditions make skidding an ever-present danger. Fortunately, how to recover
from a loss of tire traction is relatively straightforward and – providing you
were not driving too fast or recklessly at the time – usually works, with the
overall aim being to maintain the path to your original destination. To do
this, you have to fight the natural urge to focus on objects you're trying to
avoid, such as barriers, trees or people, relying on the direction of travel to
do this for you.
Just immediately
take your feet of both the gas and brake pedals, and keep your eyes on the safe
area you wish your vehicle to travel to, before turning smoothly in that
direction.
Do not
slam on the brakes, as this simply locks your wheels and removes all
directional control from them.
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