1970s stock footage - safer winter driving 2

we are fond of saying and for a good reason that when you are going to drive on snow or ice decide that you must take it easy press gently on the accelerator there is very little traction on snow or ice and the faster you attempt to start the more likely you are to spin your wheels all this does is warm up the tires turning the snow under them to ice gradually increase the speed control is the prime concern on slippery roads any maneuver you may make stopping turning changing lanes requires considerably more skill and caution the posted speed limit is for ideal conditions it is too fast for these roads at 30 m an hour there is no way we can stop in time if one of those parked cars starts to pull out or if we meet another car at an intersection we we need more time and space depending upon temperature and road conditions it can take up to 12 times longer for a car to stop with snow or ice on the road than on dry pavement do not lock up your brakes you will lose control of your car and it will actually slide farther disc brakes won't release as quickly as the old drum brakes so the previously taught method of pumping them could cause your brakes to lock up and send your car out of control a slow steady pressure short of locking up the brakes is the best way to stop if your wheels do Lock Up release the brakes momentarily to regain steering control and reapply a steady brake pressure much has been written and said about methods of counteracting a skid simply stated turn the wheel in the direction you want the car to go Don't Panic let up on the throttle but stay away from the brakes the instant you touch the brakes in a skid your car is going to be completely out of control loss of control is generally caused by the spinning or loss of traction with the drive wheels on a front drive car this loss of Drive traction also means loss of steering control the car will start to Veer away from its intended course here again don't panic ease off the thrott until the front wheels have regained traction and gently steer the car back on course on a rear drive car such as this it is the back wheels that start to scare let up on the throttle turn the wheel in the direction you want the car to [Music] go here are a few situations where hazards can be reduced by anticipation a patch of black ice frost on a bridge a sudden sharp curve on a slip slippery Road in all these situations the danger of skidding can be reduced by eliminating the spinning or engine drag on the drive Wheels with a manual transmission ease off the throttle and simply depress the clutch with an automatic transmission ease off the throttle and slip the selector into neutral being very careful to avoid hitting reverse now all four wheels will be rolling free considerably reducing your chances of a skit this technique also works to help get you out of a skit ease off the throttle slip the selector into neutral and steer in the direction you want the car to go if you haven't already figured it out by now you are traveling too fast for road conditions slow down the key to coping with slippery roads is not simply a matter of reaction but of anticipation all skidding is simply loss of traction which brings us down to tires and traction devices snow tires are very good in areas of extremely heavy snows like the mountains Upper Michigan or some New England areas snow tires have heavier Treads and deeper grooves to give you a better bite in loose snow they are however not much better than regular tires on ice or hardpacked snow if you do use snow tires be sure to use only radial snow tires with your radial tires and biasly snows with regular tires and of course be sure to put them on the front if yours is a front- drive car reinforced tire chains are cheaper and by far the best traction devices you can use they are better in deep snow better on ice and hardpacked snow but terrible on pavement some Mountain areas require chains when the roads are particularly bad for most winter driving situations good tires are sufficient if you have chains for that rare occasion when you are caught in otherwise impassible conditions this year when winter comes you can take the anxiety and the stress out of winter driving by properly preparing your car for winter by carrying the extra clothing and equipment that will help you out of a jam by replacing old wiper blades and keeping that washer bottle filled by knowing the proper way to jump a stalled car by reducing speeds and allowing a greater distance between Vehicles by learning to prevent and control skids but above all learn to avoid skids and loss of control by anticipation of situations and by using caution