As the we face another cold snap and several inches of ‘travel chaos’ bury our roads, it’s a good time to remind ourselves of the simple rules around driving in these conditions. Whether you’re in the right car or the wrong car, here are the cold facts every Car Throttle reader should be aware of to keep them safe this winter.
Rule 0: Just don’t
No, seriously, it’s an important one to remember. One of the biggest dangers with ice and snow on the roads is a normal volume of traffic. Unless going out will actually get you fired or killed, try to avoid it.
Rule 1: Fail to prepare and you…
Although weather forecasters are rarely right, they can spot low temperatures and a sky full of wet, so you can usually prepare for it. A car that’s full of screenwash is not likely to run out of it halfway into your journey. One that’s full of fuel won’t need an extra bit half way into your journey. Better still is having a spare set of alloys in your garage with a set of winter tyres on them – they take 30 minutes to change over and the value of winter tyres cannot be overstated. It’s a good idea to keep some warm clothes and bits of carpet in the car too, in case of breakdown.
Rule 2: Get them snows off yo’ ride
Clearing off the glass so you can see where you’re going is only a small part of the job. If you don’t clear off the bonnet, your windscreen will be pelted with your own snow as you’re driving along and if you don’t clear off the roof you’ll cover the screen and blind yourself the very first time you brake. You’ll need to clear the lights and the registration plate too – both are required to be unobstructed by law. If your car looks like the above when you set off, you’re doing it wrong.
Rule 3: Switch up your routes
Be aware of how different types of road change in the cold. Major roads are well travelled and well gritted – they’ll be slushy, but passable with little difficulty above a normal wet road. Minor roads will be hellish. High and exposed roads will be colder than low, sheltered ones in the first snowfall, but they’ll also warm up quickly afterwards while the sheltered ones keep their ice much longer. Bridges are particular worries for ice – without the ground to insulate beneath them, temperatures can drop much more quickly. Take the likely safest path, even if it is a bit longer than usual.
Rule 4: Strictly no tailgating
Few people realise the effect snow and ice has on stopping distances, but it’s pretty dramatic. Generally speaking a safe stopping distance in ideal conditions is two seconds – regardless of your speed (so long as it’s legal), you should be able to bring your car to a halt in two seconds so you should always be looking to be two seconds behind a car ahead of you and not run out of road you can see in less than two seconds. In the wet this doubles and in the snow it quadruples at least. This means being aware of what’s eight seconds ahead of you.
Rule 5: Make small and smooth inputs
This should not be you!
Although good practice anyway, this needs special attention when grip is reduced. Only put in as much throttle as you need to get moving, as much steering as you need to go that way and as much braking as you need to slow down. The clutch is often ignored, but slipping it to allow more gradual application of engine power is a good idea too. Use as high a gear as you can get away with when moving – set off in 2nd, rather than 1st – to reduce wheel torque and wheelspin and use the gears and engine-braking to slow down going downhill too. If you lose control at any point, gather it back without violent inputs – steer gently into a skid while gradually removing power rather than leaping off the pedals and winding on the opposite lock. Not like this guy.
We hope to see you all safely after the thaw.
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