Winter Driving Tips

Here are some tips to refresh your memory when it comes to driving safely in slick winter conditions along with advice for prepping your car for the season.

Whether it’s your first time driving in winter weather or you consider yourself an old pro, snow and sleet are always capable of surprising you. Here are some tips to refresh your memory when it comes to driving safely in slick conditions, and advice for prepping your car for the season.

Pre-Season Vehicle Prep

First and foremost, keep your car in good condition. Check your battery, windshield wiper blades and fluid levels, and replace or top off as necessary. Keep your gas tank at least half full at all times — this is both because gas might not flow properly to your engine if you’re running low due to frozen condensation in the system, and because you don’t want to get stuck somewhere far from an open gas station, or end up waiting in the long lines that form when a storm is on the way.

ires are part of winter vehicle prep, but really deserving of a conversation all their own. That’s because getting a good set of winter tires is the absolute best money you can spend to stay safe on snow, slush, ice and every combination thereof. Even the best all-season tires on the market can’t compete with actual winter tires in terms of the traction you’ll get, and maximizing traction is the ultimate goal to stay safe and get where you’re going. Ensure your tires are always properly inflated, since the pressure inside drops with lower temperatures.

If you live in a western or mountain state, familiarize yourself with the tire chain guidelines for your area. Practice using them before you actually need them. Unfortunately, you might have to take them off and put them on several times over the course of the winter, since you aren’t supposed to use them on dry pavement, so it helps to be able to do this as quickly and safely as possible.

Next, stock your car. You should have a scraper and brush for cleaning your car, a shovel to dig out in case you get stuck and emergency supplies in case your car breaks down. Having a bag of sand can be helpful to provide more traction, too. Consider heavy-duty gloves, extra clothing, waterproof boots, blankets, snacks that won’t freeze or go bad, a flashlight and some bright pieces of fabric to hang on your car to help ensure you’re visible on the side of the road, should you slide off the pavement. If your floor mats are worn or flimsy, consider upgrading to heavy-duty mats that won’t slip around inside your vehicle.

Know Your Car

Make sure you’re familiar with your car’s safety system and how to use them. If your car has selectable driving modes, find out which mode is best for snow and ice. Don’t rely on four-wheel drive or all-wheel drive to get you out of a mess, because these systems can give you too much confidence for the situation — it’s best to drive as if you don’t have them.

Know how to brake. Your car is almost certainly equipped with anti-lock brakes (ABS), and they can save you in a tight situation. If you start to skid out of control, firmly apply the brake pedal and hold it — resist the impulse to pump the brakes instead — and keep steering. ABS lets you continue to steer while the car’s computer works to evaluate the situation and apply braking force as necessary. Vibration in the brake pedal when using ABS is normal, so don’t let that deter you from properly using this important feature if you need it.

While you’re at it, ensure your stability control system is always on and you know what the indicator lights mean. If the stability control light is blinking or flashing, it means you’re losing traction, so immediately ease up on the throttle until you regain control.

When you’re cleaning snow off your car, don’t forget to clean the sensors that work with your advanced driver aids. That means knowing which safety systems your car includes, and where those sensors are. Examples include your rearview camera lens, front and rear parking sensors, blind-spot monitoring and lane-departure warning sensors.

Brush Up On Your Skills

Here, we can take some cues from professional drivers — even though the goal here isn’t speed, a lot of the same principles apply as if you were driving on a racetrack. First, practice accelerating and decelerating smoothly. Rapid acceleration will cause you to lose traction and so will rapid braking. Even better, you want to avoid stopping if you can, so by smoothly and gradually slowing down, you may be able to avoid the traffic light or obstacle that would have caused you to stop.

Practice looking far down the road instead of right in front of you. You’ll have a lot more time to anticipate turns and obstacles, let the car slow gradually and adjust your path instead of reacting in a panic.

Get comfortable with the idea of steering into a skid. If you start to slide, don’t panic. Stabbing the brakes or wrenching the wheel as far to the opposite side as possible will just make the situation worse. Race car drivers know that looking where you want to go often gets you there, so look at your target and steer gently in that direction. If you’re nervous, it’s never a bad idea to practice in an empty snowy parking lot after a storm.

Winter’s Here — Now What?

If roads are bad, consider whether or not you actually need to make a trip. If you don’t, stay home — it’s always the better choice when possible.

Don’t warm up the car indoors — it causes carbon monoxide buildup, which can quickly become fatal.

Evaluate road conditions so you have some idea what you’re dealing with. A shiny surface is bad, because it will almost always be slippery. A dull surface might not be bad, because dry snow provides usable traction, though dry spots can be hard to read accurately. A road full of slush should be approached with caution, since water buildup can cause your vehicle to hydroplane, which is when accumulated water, such as puddles, prevent your tires from connecting with the road surface.

Plan your route. Can you choose a route with fewer hills, or hills that aren’t as steep? Can you avoid highways? Do you know that certain back roads are never plowed promptly or tend to have a lot of crashes? A safer route is better, even if it takes a little longer.

Whether you’re taking a longer route or not, give yourself extra time on the road. Drive more slowly. Increase your following distance. Don’t crowd snow plows on the road — they often can’t see cars because of their size and shape and the snow they blow around. Ease to a stop when necessary and don’t use heavy acceleration to take off. In general, you want to avoid being in a rush. If you’re calmer, you’ll be better able to control your car.

If you’re putting a child into a car seat, avoid bundling the child in a heavy, fluffy coat. Thick layers can prevent a safety seat’s straps from fitting properly, which could prevent the seat from restraining your child in an impact. It’s better to dress safety seat riders in thin, warm layers and put blankets over the seat if necessary — you can always add the bulky winter gear at your destination.

If You Get Stuck

Stay warm and dry. Stay with your vehicle, because even if you think you know where you are, fatigue and storms make it easy to get disoriented and get lost. Make your vehicle as visible as possible with flags or bright strips of fabric.

Ensure the tailpipe is clear of mud and snow because that can cause fatal carbon monoxide buildup in the car’s cabin. Conserve fuel, if you can, by turning off the engine and bundling up with clothing and blankets.

No matter how many precautions you take, your car may still end up on the side of the road in a storm, and in that case, you’ll be grateful for the time you spent putting together extra food, clothing and gear to have on hand.