Winter brings several challenges, including icy and snowy road conditions. If you don’t have a lot of experience driving in these conditions, they can feel intimidating. While staying off the road is the safest thing to do during bad weather, that isn’t always possible. If you do have to head out, keep in mind these tips for safely navigating on snowy or icy roads.
- Watch the Road Ahead
If you pay attention to the road ahead, you can usually avoid bad spots that might cause you to lose control of your vehicle. Tall trees, buildings, or anything else that covers the road in shadows and blocks the sun could cause ice or other slippery conditions. Bridges and overpasses are also more likely to freeze over. If temperatures are close to freezing and you notice a spot on the road that looks wet when the surrounding area is dry, it could be black ice.
- Take Your Time
Taking your time is one of the most important things you can do when driving on winter roads. Never use cruise control, and stick to lower gears to help maximize traction. When you accelerate, do it more slowly than you normally would. Also, start braking early so you leave yourself plenty of time to slow down. If you’re behind another vehicle, make sure you leave at least three times the distance that you usually would, so you have time to react.
- Use Stability Traction Control Wisely
Most vehicles today come standard with electronic stability traction control, including the Dodge Durango. This system uses different sensors to try to maintain the path it thinks you want to travel. If your vehicle starts to slide, don’t immediately yank the wheel in the opposite direction. Abrupt maneuvers confuse the system, which means it takes longer for it to make the right corrections. Instead, keep your movements smooth and subtle so the system can help you.
- Do One Thing at a Time
Your vehicle has three main functions: accelerating, braking, and turning. When you’re driving on winter roads, you want to try to do only one function at a time. Combining too many functions can actually cause your vehicle to lose traction. For example, if you’re coming up to a curve in the road, you want to begin braking before you start going through the turn. Once you come out of the turn, wait until your vehicle is going straight again before you start accelerating.
- Always Have Your Emergency Kit Ready
Even the most skilled winter drivers can sometimes end up stranded on the side of the road. Should this happen to you, make sure you’re prepared to wait for help to arrive by always having an emergency kit in your vehicle. Your winter emergency kit should include a shovel, jumper cables, a flashlight, extra batteries, water, nonperishable food, a blanket, a hat, gloves, and an extra cell phonee charger.
This year, make sure you’re able to safely navigate snowy and icy roads by keeping these important winter driving tips in mind.
Image via Murray Foubister | Licensed by CC BY-SA 2.0
