Driving in snow and ice is treacherous. As a rule of thumb, if you can avoid going out—you should. Snow and ice can hit at any time, though and none of us wants to be stuck at work any longer than we have to, so when driving in severe winter weather is unavoidable, follow these top 15 safety tips for driving in snow and ice. 
- Slow down! There is not a magical speed limit when the weather is bad, but you can start by cutting the posted speed limit in half.
- Allow at least three car lengths between you and the car in front of you when the roads are slick.
- Keep your headlights on.
- Avoid changing lanes on the freeway and drive in the lane that has been cleared and de-iced.
- Steer in the direction of a slide—whether it is your back wheels or front wheels. Skidding left? Turn the wheel to the left. Skidding right? Turn the wheel to the right.
- If you suspect black ice on the road ahead of you, do not slam on the brakes—coast over the ice without braking or accelerating.
- Accelerate slowly from a complete stop.
- Do not brake or apply the gas on a turn. Anticipate your turn and put on the brakes beforehand—coast through the turn smoothly.
- Sit closer to the steering column than you normally do for more control and safety if you happen to get into an accident.
- If your wheels start spinning, let up on the gas pedal slowly until your car regains traction.
- Speed up before climbing a hill to get enough momentum beforehand so you don’t have to brake or accelerate while going up.
- Minimize braking while going downhill.
- If your car has anti-lock brakes, stomp on them, applying steady pressure. If you have non anti-lock brakes, then pump instead of stomp. Pump non anti-lock brakes.
- Do not use cruise control.
- Give yourself plenty of time to come to a complete stop at a light or sign. Slow down steadily and slowly before getting to an intersection.
Do you have any winter weather driving tips? Share them with us in the comment section.
[suzanne]
Driving on snow and ice is like any other vocation. It takes practice to be safe. Practice, practice, practice! find a plowed parking lot that is empty without a bunch of light poles and practice getting into and out of a skid. I was born and brought up in southern VT where we didn’t have such things as big parking lots in the 50s so I got my training on back roads, some paved, some not. While driving on a road like an interstate, in icy or slippery conditions, try to keep one front wheel in the unplowed snow on the shoulder, to keep your vehicle pointed straight; just do not too far over or the snow will pull the car into the ditch!
Take your foot off the gas when crossing bridges or going under bridges, on bridges & under them are where ice is most likely to be. Then after the bridge, slowly resume on the gas….
oops,.. “on” not “one”
Tailgaters are hazardous at any time, but some drivers don’t realize they are following you too close on slick roads. Slick conditions dramatically increase the amount of stopping distance you want between you and the car in front of you. Whether the tailgater is an inexperienced driver or an aggressive driver doesn’t matter, your response should be as gentle and as passive as possible.
Do not slow down by applying your brakes if your being tailgated. Instead, slow down by tapping your brakes to signal your slowing down, but slow down only by lifting your foot off the accelerator. Continue slowing down until the distance between you and the tailgater is appropriate to the road conditions. Give them as much leeway to pass as possible.
Do not try to anger the tailgater you with obscene gestures or by eye contact.
It is not a race. You win only if your arrive to your destination safely. If you see a safe spot to stop, pull over and let the tailgater pass.
Most of Suzannes’s tips are very good as written. However, there are important updates and/or clarifications to a few of them:
2.Allow at least three SECONDS between you and the car in front of you, especially when the roads are slick. With an average car length these days of about 16 feet, 3 car LENGTHS is less then 50 feet. You will travel that far in only one second at just 34mph. The average person will not get from the accelerator to the brake quickly enough to avoid rear-ending the car in front of them who hit the brakes unexpectedly.
5, 8 & 10. If you start to skid or slide or hear the wheels start to spin while driving, quickly and simultaneously come off of the pedals and LOOK and STEER where you want to go. While technically correct, confusion abounds, especially with new drivers, over the old saws of “steer in the direction of a slide” or “steer into the skid.” Loss of control can quickly occur while trying to remember these old rules.
Come off of the pedals and LOOK and STEER where you want to go is easy to remember and also applies for handling blowouts and for making evasive maneuvers.
Be aware of the drive configuration of your vehicle. Rear wheel drive (RWD) vehicles are significantly more “skittish” and less forgiving than front wheel drive (FWD) or all wheel drive (AWD) vehicles in slippery conditions. RWD vehicles should be driven slower in curves because you are pushing the vehicle through the curve rather than pulling it. Going straight, spinning the wheels in a FWD or AWD vehicle will not result in the “fish-tailing” and loss of control that can quickly happen in a RWD vehicle.
9. DO NOT sit closer to the steering column than you normally do. Maximum control and safety is achieved sitting back in the seat with a 9 o’clock and 3 o’clock hold on the steering wheel. If you get into a collision where the airbag deploys and you are crowding the steering wheel, you are much more likely to be injured and/or lose control of the vehicle, possibly resulting in secondary collisions. You should be at least 10 inches away from the steering wheel with your hands to the sides of the steering wheel to allow the airbag to deploy safely.
Just DO NOT DRIVE in snow or ice unless it is a medical emergency and the paramedics will not come. If you are out of your favorite food just eat something else until it’s
safe to drive. DO NOT DRIVE WHEN IT IS SLICK. IF YOU DON’T CAUSE A WRECK, SOME OTHER STUPID FOOL WILL!!!
remember DRIVE WITHIN YOUR SKILL LIMITATIONS and if you are AFRAID of it DON’T DO IT ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! !