How to Avoid Accidents While Driving in Snow
Snow can be beautiful, setting the mood for the winter and lighting up the dark evenings. However, it can also pose a danger when you’re headed to work, events, school or a friend’s house. Depending on the temperature, snow can quickly lay down a thin layer of ice on the roads or simply obscure visibility, making traffic much more dangerous quickly.
Most Americans live in zones where it snows at least part of the year. Whether in dense traffic or in more rural settings, winter weather conditions can lead to skidding into rear-ending accidents or worse. While every situation is different depending on the temperature or road conditions, there are a general set of techniques you can use to avoid accidents in snowy conditions.
1. Leave extra distance between you and the next car.
It’s fairly accurate to say that as soon as snow hits the roads, your traction with the pavement will be less. That means you’ll need more distance to stop, no matter how fast you’re going. AAA recommends leaving an extra eight to 10 seconds of stopping time between you and the next car when conditions are snowy or icy.
2. Drive in the area that has been cleared most recently.
Depending on your city or area’s resources, they may wait to clear snow until after a storm is over. Try to follow the tracks of another car that went in front of you or in a snowplow’s path if the road has been cleared. Avoid changing lanes if you can, because the built-up snow between lanes can make your car unstable or cause you to lose traction, according to AAA.
3. Practice your emergency steering.
Sometimes it’s better to steer than to brake to avoid a collision when roads are slick with snow or ice. The Minnesota Department of Public Safety recommends avoiding braking if you hit a slick spot and, if you have to, steering into a snowbank rather than into a collision. If you skid, steer into the direction of the skid and expect a second skid as you come out of it.
4. Slow down.
Because snow is white, it an reflect your headlights back at you more than rain can. When it first starts to fall, before road maintenance crews have been able to lay down a layer of salt or sand for traction, the snow can be either wet and build up on your tires or build up on the road and cause you to lose traction. If you feel your wheels start to slip, let up on the accelerator until you feel the traction again, according to AAA.
5. Watch out for hills.
When you’re approaching a hill, watch other drivers to see how they are handling it. If someone in front of you is having a hard time making it up or getting stuck, slow to a stop before beginning the climb up the hill if you can in case the car in front of you slides backward. When you start up a hill in the snow and ice, don’t stop.
6. Evaluate the weather.
If you can avoid driving in serious snow, do. If you can wait until after a snowfall is done, the snow plows from a city or county may have time to clear the road or lay down salt or sand for traction, making your trip safer. If you can wait until after the snow has finished falling as well, visibility will improve, too. The National Weather Service and local meteorologists will be able to provide warnings of predicted serious snowfall, so keep an eye out and check the forecasts if the weather starts to look dicey.
