Defensive Winter Driving

Before we talk about driving tactics, lets check to see how winter-road-worthy our vehicle is first.

1. How do the tires look? I recommend having at least all season radial tires. If your driving will be in extreme winter conditions, you may decide to buy a set of snow tires for the winter. Check for excessive tread wear/uneven tread wear. If the tread is worn, time to buy some new tires. If they have uneven wear, rotating the tires may do the trick. If in doubt, have your tire technician evaluate them for you.

2. Check the anti-freeze and determine what temperature range it covers. Here in Montana temperatures have gotten as cold as -50F, so having this checked is essential. If you drive a diesel vehicle, check to see what grade diesel you should use, along with any fuel additives you should use to keep your fuel from gelling in cold temperatures. When I was in Alaska, it remained so cold that semi-truck drivers never shut their trucks off, for fear that they could not start them again.

3. Have the battery checked! Your battery may perform fine when the weather is warm, but as soon as it turns cold, battery performance can diminish, or fail altogether.

4. Have a winter emergency kit in the vehicle. There are plenty of off-the-shelf kits on the market, or you can assemble your own, (that is what I do). Just make sure that you have these items in your car:
- tire chains in the correct size
-battery booster cables
- small shovel
- flashlight with fresh batteries
- tow strap
- basic tool kit (adjustable wrenches, screwdrivers, etc)
- warm clothing and/or blankets. I like wool blankets as they keep you warm even when wet.
- emergency flares. Believe me, when visibility is low, you don't want someone to drive into you or your vehicle.
- candles and matches (or lighter). It is surprising how a candle or two can warm the interior of a vehicle. Just be careful to not start any-
thing on fire!

Your vehicle is checked out and ready to venture forth. Are you? I have noticed that during the warmer driving season, we sort of forget our winter driving chops. We tend to drive faster, follow other vehicles closer (pet peeve of mine), and become distracted with the kids, music, or talking on the cell phone (a really BIG pet peeve!) I have actually pulled drivers over that were reading a book!!

Remember when you first started driving? We were very focused on our driving, at the exclusion of any other activity. Unfortunately we tend to become complacent during years of driving. Poor driving habits cause horrible injuries and death. Over the years, I have seen too many such instances, so let's be safe and use these tips:

1. Use of brakes. Even with the advent of anti-lock brakes (ABS), if braking is not done correctly, the vehicle will go into an uncontrolled skid. Use your brakes gently and judiciously. I don't know how many times I was following a car in a snowstorm and the driver was either "riding the brake" or applying them constantly. Not good. Also a little reminder here, if your vehicle is four-wheel-drive, or all-wheel-drive, you cannot stop any faster than a two-wheel-drive....honest.

2. Counter Steering. Say you are driving down the road and your vehicle's rear breaks traction and skids to the right, (called fishtailing), what do you do? Move the steering wheel toward the direction of the skid. In this example we would steer to the right. I know, this is pretty basic stuff, but there is some finesse involved. Basically DO NOT OVER-STEER. When the adrenaline hits our system, it is common to over correct and go into a side-to-side fishtail, or spin the vehicle around completely. Try to be gentle.

3. Corners that are shaded from the sun. Decelerate using the gas pedal prior to entering the corner. If you hit the brakes, the vehicle may go into a skid.

4. Overpass/bridge. Even if the roadway is dry, condensation occurs when air can get underneath the roadway. Just be cautious on overpass bridges.

5. Getting Stuck: If your vehicle becomes stuck in snow or mud, "rock the vehicle" back and forth. This entails having the car in a forward gear and GENTLY applying pressure to the accelerator, until the vehicle goes no further. Then shift the car into reverse and doing the same thing. These are the things I see people doing incorrectly:
- Changing gears before the vehicle has completed the either forward or reverse travel. This may cause damage to the vehicle's
transmission/drive train.
- Flooring the gas pedal. This causes complete loss of traction. Being stuck can be frustrating, but take your time. You may have to get the
shovel from your emergency kit and clear away some snow before you can get the vehicle free.

6. Following other vehicles too closely. During optimal, dry conditions, following a vehicle by two seconds is the closest recommended safe distance. When the roads are wet and/or slick, increase your following distance to at least ten to fifteen seconds. In congested traffic, if that distance is maintained, another vehicle will probably jump into the cushion you just created. Maintain your cool and drop back to a safe distance. (Road rage is a subject for an article in itself).

I hope this article has been helpful. Please let me know that you think.