Winter Driving Tips: Know the Weather and Your Car

Understanding the Most Dangerous Winter Driving Conditions

One of the major problems with winter driving is that no one ever teaches us how to do it properly. Sure, you might get some winter driving tips when you study for your driver's license, but most drivers' education classes take place in the summer or when school is in session. Since we know that school get cancelled when the weather gets bad, how are people supposed to learn winter driving? Some parents who live in particularly snowy environments might take the time to teach teens good winter driving tips while they have their learners' permits, but most don't. Instead of being intimidated by driving in the snow and ice, follow these easy winter driving tips to take the fear out of driving and help keep the road safe.

Learn to interpret road conditions

The first and most important winter driving tip is to understand what the road conditions mean and what is most dangerous. You're first thought might be that visible snow and ice are the most dangerous, but that is not always the truth.

Black ice is a particularly hazardous road condition. The ice is not really black, but is translucent on the pavement below. To the untrained observer, the road may look wet, but there are not telltale signs to indicate that it is slick. Since black ice can occur in patches when the road looks clear, it is particularly dangerous. Drivers are not expecting it and may be traveling at speeds that are too fast for the road conditions. Usually, this means you end up in the ditch, or worse.

Patchy ice is another warning phrase that is often overlooked. When the roads are snowpacked, people understand that the snow is preventing traction and slow down. They tend to plan to stop earlier and avoid collisions. When the ice is patchy, there can be little warning before the car or a single tire on the car, hits ice and starts to spin.