By Kiley Garrett
With the snow that hit Portales yesterday predicted to last into Wednesday morning, it’s safe to say that driving in snow is nearly unavoidable. While rain is more common than snow here in eastern New Mexico, with winter conditions comes icy and snowy roads that make traveling or your daily commute, longer, difficult, and unsafe, especially if you’re not experienced driving in winter road conditions. It’s encouraged to not to get on the road if you don’t have to, but if you need to drive somewhere, here are five tips to help you do so safely.
1. Go slow – but don’t crawl
Maintain a safe speed. While going slow is a key step to staying safe on powdery and icy roads, going too slow can cause you to be more of a hazard to yourself and other drivers. Try to follow the flow of traffic, but don’t feel pressured by impatient drivers to go faster than you are comfortable.
2. Don’t punch it
Trying to speed up or slow down suddenly on slippery roads can be dangerous. It can cause you to spin out, slide, or even fishtail. It’s better to slowly build up speed or come to a stop. Try to allow yourself to double the space and time that you normally would to come to a stop or to cross a road. Many websites suggest a three to four second rule, but the American Automobile Association (AAA) recommends doubling that, telling drivers to give themselves five to six seconds to come to a complete stop whether at a stoplight or while driving behind someone.
3. Keep your distance
Typically, drivers follow closely behind one another in traffic; this is the last thing you want to do in hazardous conditions. Ice and fresh snow can make stopping suddenly very dangerous. Maintaining the proper distance behind other drivers and keeping in mind that it takes longer to come to a stop on icy roads, are two very important things that can mean the difference between arriving home safely or worse.
4. Don’t panic
So now that we’ve established how to prevent an accident, let’s talk about what to do if you’re in immediate danger of one. If you find yourself spinning, sliding, or fishtailing you should do what you would do if you were hydroplaning. Don’t panic, maintain a firm grip on the steering wheel, let off the gas completely, and do not press your brakes. Allow the car to slow down naturally, and make small, smooth movements to guide yourself where you need to be. If needed, pull over to calm down, take a breather and continue driving when you feel safe.
5. Don’t over-correct
Another important tip to keep in mind is to not over-correct, but it is a crucial mistake that many inexperienced drivers make in the snow. If you find yourself sliding or going over a bad patch of ice, don’t turn your wheel too much to put yourself back on course, as you are more likely to get into an accident or spin out.
Hazardous driving conditions can make your drive home scary, especially if they occur suddenly while you’re at work or in class. By keeping these few things in mind, you can get home safely to ride out the storm. Remember to always stay safe and stay warm during these winter weather conditions.
