Driving In Icy Conditions - What Should I Do?
Firstly, it should be said that if you know there's likely to be ice on the roads and your journey isn't important, stay at home. Choosing to drive on an icy road means that you're choosing to take a ton or so of self propelled metal onto the public highway with no sure way of stopping or controlling it. It's not always possible to avoid driving in icy conditions but if you can, you should.
But if your journey is vital or you come upon ice during a trip, here are some tips on dealing with driving on ice.
Give yourself time
Whether you were expecting ice or not, you must allow 10 minutes to get your windscreen clear. Put your car’s heater on as well as the heated rear window. Have a can of de-icer in the car or use warm – not boiling – water to clear the windows. And make sure they’re clear - don’t try to drive with just a small clearing in your windscreen! Accept that with adverse weather conditions such as ice, you will be delayed in getting to your destination.
Stay calm
Making no sudden movements - with either brakes, gears, steering or revs – while maintaining a constant (and reduced) speed is the safest way to drive in icy conditions. Your car's weight will do a lot to keep you on the straight and narrow; it's often how we deal with braking and steering that causes accidents. Slow, careful manoeuvres that slow down - not stop - the wheels are the best way to bring your car to a halt on a slippery road. Panicking by simply braking will usually send your car sideways.
Stay in a high gear
It may not sound great and it goes against our instincts as drivers but staying in a high gear means you're putting less torque on the ground. Torque is pulling power in layman's terms and you only have to watch a tug o' war on a muddy field to see what happens when you mix torque with a slippery surface. Less torque on the ground means the wheels are less likely to spin and keeps you in control.
Take it easy
Keeping your speed to a minimum is always best on ice, both to maximise friction and to anticipate the unexpected. With practically no friction between an icy surface and your tyres, brakes are often useless and engine braking - changing down your gears to lose momentum - is the best way to slow down if you come upon ice at speed. Braking at the first hint of ice will cause you to skid and the car may start to turn.
Watch out for skidding
The impulse to brake can be difficult to control so if you to hit the middle pedal, again - don't panic. Turn into the skid to counter-act it and change down gears, using engine braking to slow down. Skidding means you’ve lost traction and without traction, your car is powerless.
Watch the temperature
Most cars have a temperature gauge so keep an eye on it on winter months. While ice forms at 0 degrees, a reading of 2-3 degrees can also mean ice is possible due to the margin of error on these gauges; for this reason, many gauges display a frost symbol at 2 degrees. If the temperature gets this cold, take care - while the familiar sheen of ice is easy to spot, black ice can often resemble a wet road until it's too late. So if it's cold enough for ice, expect ice.
SKIDDING
Decrease your speed and leave yourself plenty of room to stop. You should allow at least three times more space than usual between you and the car in front of you.
Brake gently to avoid skidding. If your wheels start to lock up, ease off the brake.
Turn on your lights to increase your visibility to other motorists.
Keep your lights and windshield clean.
Use low gears to keep traction, especially on hills.
Don't use cruise control or overdrive on icy roads.
Be especially careful on bridges, overpasses and infrequently traveled roads, which will freeze first. Even at temperatures above freezing, if the conditions are wet, you might encounter ice in shady areas or on exposed roadways like bridges.
Don't pass snow plows and sanding trucks. The drivers have limited visibility, and you're likely to find the road in front of them worse than the road behind.
Don't assume your vehicle can handle all conditions. Even four-wheel and front-wheel drive vehicles can encounter trouble on winter roads.
If your rear wheels skid...
Take your foot off the accelerator.
Steer in the direction you want the front wheels to go. If your rear wheels are sliding left, steer left. If they're sliding right, steer right.
If your rear wheels start sliding the other way as you recover, ease the steering wheel toward that side. You might have to steer left and right a few times to get your vehicle completely under control.
If you have standard brakes, pump them gently.
If you have anti-lock brakes (ABS), do not pump the brakes. Apply steady pressure to the brakes. You will feel the brakes pulse — this is normal.
If your front wheels skid...
Take your foot off the accelerator and shift to neutral, but don't try to steer immediately.
As the wheels skid sideways, they will slow the vehicle and traction will return. As it does, steer in the direction you want to go. Then put the transmission in "drive" or release the clutch, and accelerate gently.
Firstly, it should be said that if you know there's likely to be ice on the roads and your journey isn't important, stay at home. Choosing to drive on an icy road means that you're choosing to take a ton or so of self propelled metal onto the public highway with no sure way of stopping or controlling it. It's not always possible to avoid driving in icy conditions but if you can, you should.
But if your journey is vital or you come upon ice during a trip, here are some tips on dealing with driving on ice.
Give yourself time
Whether you were expecting ice or not, you must allow 10 minutes to get your windscreen clear. Put your car’s heater on as well as the heated rear window. Have a can of de-icer in the car or use warm – not boiling – water to clear the windows. And make sure they’re clear - don’t try to drive with just a small clearing in your windscreen! Accept that with adverse weather conditions such as ice, you will be delayed in getting to your destination.
Stay calm
Making no sudden movements - with either brakes, gears, steering or revs – while maintaining a constant (and reduced) speed is the safest way to drive in icy conditions. Your car's weight will do a lot to keep you on the straight and narrow; it's often how we deal with braking and steering that causes accidents. Slow, careful manoeuvres that slow down - not stop - the wheels are the best way to bring your car to a halt on a slippery road. Panicking by simply braking will usually send your car sideways.
Stay in a high gear
It may not sound great and it goes against our instincts as drivers but staying in a high gear means you're putting less torque on the ground. Torque is pulling power in layman's terms and you only have to watch a tug o' war on a muddy field to see what happens when you mix torque with a slippery surface. Less torque on the ground means the wheels are less likely to spin and keeps you in control.
Take it easy
Keeping your speed to a minimum is always best on ice, both to maximise friction and to anticipate the unexpected. With practically no friction between an icy surface and your tyres, brakes are often useless and engine braking - changing down your gears to lose momentum - is the best way to slow down if you come upon ice at speed. Braking at the first hint of ice will cause you to skid and the car may start to turn.
Watch out for skidding
The impulse to brake can be difficult to control so if you to hit the middle pedal, again - don't panic. Turn into the skid to counter-act it and change down gears, using engine braking to slow down. Skidding means you’ve lost traction and without traction, your car is powerless.
Watch the temperature
Most cars have a temperature gauge so keep an eye on it on winter months. While ice forms at 0 degrees, a reading of 2-3 degrees can also mean ice is possible due to the margin of error on these gauges; for this reason, many gauges display a frost symbol at 2 degrees. If the temperature gets this cold, take care - while the familiar sheen of ice is easy to spot, black ice can often resemble a wet road until it's too late. So if it's cold enough for ice, expect ice.
SKIDDING
Decrease your speed and leave yourself plenty of room to stop. You should allow at least three times more space than usual between you and the car in front of you.
Brake gently to avoid skidding. If your wheels start to lock up, ease off the brake.
Turn on your lights to increase your visibility to other motorists.
Keep your lights and windshield clean.
Use low gears to keep traction, especially on hills.
Don't use cruise control or overdrive on icy roads.
Be especially careful on bridges, overpasses and infrequently traveled roads, which will freeze first. Even at temperatures above freezing, if the conditions are wet, you might encounter ice in shady areas or on exposed roadways like bridges.
Don't pass snow plows and sanding trucks. The drivers have limited visibility, and you're likely to find the road in front of them worse than the road behind.
Don't assume your vehicle can handle all conditions. Even four-wheel and front-wheel drive vehicles can encounter trouble on winter roads.
If your rear wheels skid...
Take your foot off the accelerator.
Steer in the direction you want the front wheels to go. If your rear wheels are sliding left, steer left. If they're sliding right, steer right.
If your rear wheels start sliding the other way as you recover, ease the steering wheel toward that side. You might have to steer left and right a few times to get your vehicle completely under control.
If you have standard brakes, pump them gently.
If you have anti-lock brakes (ABS), do not pump the brakes. Apply steady pressure to the brakes. You will feel the brakes pulse — this is normal.
If your front wheels skid...
Take your foot off the accelerator and shift to neutral, but don't try to steer immediately.
As the wheels skid sideways, they will slow the vehicle and traction will return. As it does, steer in the direction you want to go. Then put the transmission in "drive" or release the clutch, and accelerate gently.
