A winter driving refresher…
We all know that when we don’t do things regularly, we will often need a reminder. This is a normal part of our lives. For example, there’s a recipe I do with chicken that I enjoy, but since I don’t make it often, I refer to the written recipe to ensure I do it correctly. You probably know where I’m going with this, considering this site is called The Safe Driver. We must also realize that we need refreshers with things we don’t do so often when it comes to driving. I was able to help a family member with such a thing recently, and it was my pleasure.
A family member visited us recently, right after we received a heavy snow storm. Although they do receive some snow over the winter months where they live, it’s not nearly as much as I get. They were using one of my vehicles for a day so I offered to provide a free winter driving lesson. After all, what’s family for if not for providing free driving lessons?
At first they were a little hesitant to take me up on the time, but after being in the vehicle for the first minute, they were thankful. The roads were snowy and icy in many places since the rain we had the day before had frozen overnight. The dusting of wet snow on top of that didn’t make the road conditions any better. However, for me it was a great opportunity to educate and help another driver feel more comfortable behind the wheel during less than ideal conditions.
The area at intersections near stop signs was mostly icy. It made stopping conditions tricky for even the most experienced drivers. So much so that we came across a collision scene where the road conditions were all ice. It appeared one of the drivers attempted to stop at the stop sign but couldn’t because of the ice. This caused their vehicle to fishtail into the path of an oncoming vehicle. The damage to the vehicles was severe enough to show the drivers were not driving slowly toward the intersection. It was a good reminder to read the road and adjust to conditions.
Early braking with gradual pressure seemed to work the best in these icy conditions as we traveled the area. What they also realized was braking on snow compared to ice allowed the wheels to grip better. Shifting the vehicle position slightly to the left of the lane and away from the icy sections allowed for better traction to stop and also better traction to accelerate after stopping. They also realized that while accelerating, if the wheels began to spin, they needed to ease off the gas and gently reapply the pressure on the gas. If the wheels spun again, repeat. So far, my advice was working.
We were only in the vehicle for 15 minutes, but I could tell they were getting more accustomed to reading the road conditions and adjusting proactively. All it seemed to take was some professional advice and practice to help them gain confidence. After our brief time together, they were quite pleased we spent this time getting familiar with these winter driving conditions. Any driving instructor would be pleased to help any driver get used to these conditions. For me, I would do that for any family member. It’s what family does.
**Have a quick listen to this short episode of the “Speed Bumps” podcast as winter driving anxiety is discussed!
A thought that pops into my head, from time to time, is… should winter driving be an addition endorsement on our licenses. After spending the majority of my life in Sault Ste Marie, where 15-30 cm 9or more) snowfalls are typical, I developed reasonable winter driving habits. Unfortunately, too many of my fellow Sault-ites treated winter driving as just any other day. Having recently moved to Windsor, I am finding much less snow, but very similar conditions when there is a snowfall — some drivers who can manage, and many who either do not adjust, or do not know how.
I don’t want to suggest that a winter driving course be mandatory (it would be decried as a “cash grab”) but it seems to me that the helpful advice issued in the media by the government or the various police agencies isn’t enough to get the message out.