There snow way you can see…

Opinion

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 11/02/2015 (3876 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Have you ever seen a weird warning on some product and wondered why it was there?

“Do not place vacuum nozzle over eye,” or “Hot liquid — do not hold between thighs.”

The best was on a commercial for a video game, where the two adolescents are chasing bad guys on animated all-terrain vehicles that morph into flying motorcycles not unlike those in the movie Star Wars: Return of the Jedi as the duo instantly travels through a rift in space-time to a distant planet.

“Professional drivers. Do not attempt.” As if.

I’m hoping the last one was a joke by the video game developers, but most times, if you see a warning label advising against doing something you’re too smart to even think about trying, it’s because there is someone out there who is not as smart as you. Seriously.

So it was with more than a little interest when I read a press release a while back from the Winnipeg Police Service warning drivers to do more than clear a credit card-sized hole in the windshield to see through. I’m sure it’s because an officer in the traffic unit said to a superior, “Hey, you’ll never guess why I pulled 10 drivers over today…”

You must clear the car of snow and ice before you drive. It’s just common sense. You should be able to see as well in winter as you do in summer. Given we just had another dump of snow, I wasn’t surprised to see a few snow cones driving around.

Snow on the hood will blow into the air intakes and, if your car is still cold, ice up the windshield on the inside. Snow on the roof might slide backward under acceleration and block your rear window or, worse, fall forward under braking and block the windshield. Ice might fly off your car and strike another. That is something that has had tragic consequences in the past and if it happens to you, you could be held liable.

Bristles on snow brushes can scratch clear coat, so be careful. Or check out a bristleless snow brush at Canadian Tire.

Winter plays havoc on your car, so be prepared. Carry some non-perishable food, some blankets, a shovel, candle, matches and a metal cup if you have to melt snow for water. You should also carry a sign to put out asking other drivers to alert police you’re stranded.

Above all, stay with your car. Unless you can see help, leaving your car is a fool’s gambit.

Keep your fuel tank above one-quarter full: that will not only help prevent condensation and fuel-line freezing, it gives you a cushion if you get stranded and have to run the engine to stay warm. If you do, make sure your exhaust is free of snow, and double-check from time to time if you’re stuck there for a while.

When driving, remember that you can’t count on the same traction as during summer. It’s important to drive to conditions, but that doesn’t mean driving slowly just for the sake of driving slowly. If it’s slippery, you’ll know and you should most definitely slow down. But if it’s not slippery and other drivers are therefore not slowing down, being a rolling roadblock isn’t safe, either.

Most importantly, do not try to be a speed cop. If there is a driver out there with a comfort level higher than yours, let him by. If you do slow down, do so in the right lane. Besides, if you think he’s being reckless, wouldn’t you want him in front of you anyway?

Paying attention is always important, but never more so than in winter.

In summer, if your concentration lapses for a second and you have to correct, the available traction will often bail you out. You may not have that traction in winter.

As well, looking as far ahead as possible provides several benefits: you can plan for stoplights and stop signs, you can see threats developing and you get the earliest possible indication your car is starting to spin. The correction of a spin should be automatic, as your hands instinctively turn where you want to go, but doing it at the earliest possible moment makes it feel like you haven’t done anything at all and prevents the rebound skid that can send you into an uncontrollable slide.

Slow down for stops early and brake early, too. It’s better if you find out you have no traction while there’s still time to do something about it, such as steering towards the snow between wheel ruts to find traction.

Anti-lock brakes are an important safety feature that help you steer even while braking. But they aren’t a replacement for proper planning and they do not help you stop more quickly. When you know you have to stop, being able to stop without activating the anti-lock feature will give you more control and improved stopping ability. A slowly rotating tire will always brake better than a wheel where the brakes are being released several times per second.

If your anti-lock does kick in, let it work. Keep your foot on the brake pedal and don’t let up. Trying to work against the ABS will only put you in conflict with your car, and neither of you will win.

Above all, use winter tires. They do make a big difference in traction, and they also mean the difference between your car’s ABS and stability control working well and not working at all. Both systems need traction to work. Winter tires also have a limited impact on your long-term tire budget. Basically, you’re paying the same for tires over time whether you use winter tires or not.