Make Winter Driving Safer (1982)

Shelly wrote Oh wind if winter comes can spring be far behind I wish perhaps that winter will not come this year or if it does that it will be mercifully short but winter does come every year without fail for some winter is a magic Wonderland full of quiet Stillness when the world rests from a busy summer for others it is a time to indulge in a myriad of outdoor Fun frolicing sports but for all of us there are times when winter is aggravating miserable and downright treacherous especially when driving armed with a few tips and a lot of caution you can make winter driving safer a time will come to every driver when that good old feel of the road will suddenly vanish and that car will somehow refuse to obey almost every command you try to give it whether you live in the Northern climates where Winter is a yearly part of your life or take only an occasional ski trip to the mountains the more prepared you are for winter the safer you'll be preparing your car for winter is the first step toward safer winter driving a breakdown of any part can not only spoil your trip but possibly prove very hazardous in car preparation obviously your engine should be an excellent tune if it ran roughly and was hard to start last summer it will be impossible to start in winter summer oil will thicken the cold will take away much of the battery's power and the engine just won't turn over fast enough to start so be certain you have winter grade oil in your car suitable for the temperatures you expect to be in better check the owner's manual on that one clean off the battery terminals to ensure a good contact if the battery is more than 2 years old you should get a voltage check to be certain it will have the power when you need it most check hoses belts and the all important antifreeze here is what happens when your antifreeze is borderline you hop in your car warm it up for a couple of minutes which thaws out the partially frozen fluid in the engine block and then you take off when the engine warms sufficiently to open the thermostat the hot coolant goes through the upper hose to the radiator to cool off but there it is blocked you've been driving at say 35 mph for the past 3 miles and cold air rushing through your radiator has frozen its solid result the water in the engine boils and the pressure blows coolant out the radiator overflow valve or Worse bursts a radiator hose either way you're in for a long delay in your trip and possibly an expensive toe don't forget to fill that windshield washer with winter solvent in fact it's a good idea to carry an extra gallon on slushy days times like this are when you're going to need it most for a period of about 4 seconds there you were driving completely blind while you waited for your windshield wipers to clean off that mud and slush pretty scary huh here's a tip that will keep your windshield clean during that critical 4 seconds when you meet a Mudslinger like this start the washer going before you meet him this will get the windshield wet so that by the time you are splashed your wipers are already cleaning it off if your wipers leave a smeared windshield get rid of you need new ones no winter preparedness would be complete without the extra equipment that should be carried in your car put warm clothing footwear gloves and a blanket on the top of that list hopefully you will never need them to save your life but you have to repair or abandon your car only once on a cold wintry day to realize not only how miserable it is but how serious it can really be and an assortment of tools should be included also a flashlight flares a small shovel and a quantity of sand or of all things kitty litter it's conveniently packed lightweight and works well for emergency traction and don't forget a set of jumper cables speaking of jumper cables many people have had sulfuric acid blown into their eyes while attempting to use these cables here is a safe way to do it number one make certain that the vehicle you're going to jump power from does not touch your car number two have the assisting driver shut off his engine to lessen the danger of the cables or clothing getting caught in moving Parts number three fasten the positive red cable to the positive pole on One battery be extremely careful not to allow the other end to touch any part of either car until it has been fastened securely to the positive pull on the other battery number four fasten the black cable first to the negative pull on the assisting car number five then fasten the other end to the engine block of the stalled car number six check to make sure that the cables are secure and away from fan belts or other moving parts then you may have the assisting driver start up his engine and run it at a fast idle good luck on your St start but whether or not your car will start the cable that you must remove first is the black cable at the end fastened to the engine block of the stalled vehicle here's why there will always be a spark on making or breaking this final connection therefore it is important to make it away from the explosive hydrogen gas given off by the battery 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 mph 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 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 throttle 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 skit let up on the throttle turn the wheel in the direction you want the car to 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 slippery Road in all these situations the danger of skitting can be red used 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 skid this technique also works to help get you out of a skid 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 bias 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