8 TIPS FOR DRIVING IN THE SNOW

Living in White Marsh has many perks. Residents enjoy their proximity to Baltimore and can reach Washington, D.C., Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and Maryland, in under two hours. In addition to the diverse culture around them, the regional climate offers the beauty of four seasons. Spring ushers in the rejuvenating air before turning to the warm summer months full of outdoor activities. Summer fades to fall in a cascading collage of autumnal foliage before winter sets in.

Winter can be beautiful. There’s nothing quite as pretty as a fresh six inches of snow blanketing the earth in pristine white. Unfortunately, driving in the snow has its challenges. As we brace for the upcoming winter, we thought we’d offer you some tips for driving in the snow. 

SLOW DOWN

Driving on snowy roads presents many challenges. Your vehicle doesn’t have the traction it would on dry pavement because of the snow. The loss of traction can result in poor turning and stopping ability. Driving slower improves your traction by giving your tires more contact with the road beneath the snow, helping you turn and stop without skidding.

INCREASE YOUR FOLLOWING DISTANCE

Experts agree that you should drive at least two or three car lengths behind the car ahead under normal conditions. However, when the wintry weather hits, normal conditions no longer exist. You could find yourself driving through inches of snow or across patches of black ice. Snow and ice create uncertain stopping conditions. Therefore, you should give yourself the extra space to stop should the need arise.

FOLLOW THE TRACKS OF OTHERS

If you’ve ever had to break ground on foot through drifting snow, you know that following in the footsteps of others can make walking through snow easier. The same holds for driving. If you find yourself driving in fresh or falling snow, keep your car’s tires lined up with the tracks left by the vehicle ahead. The tire tracks from the vehicle ahead have cleared most of the snow away, allowing your tires to gain critical traction with the road.

USE LOW BEAMS IN HEAVY SNOWFALL

In heavy snowfall, you sometimes experience whiteout conditions. A whiteout condition creates a wall of white ahead of your car that you can’t see through, much like a heavy fog. Living so close to the ocean, White Marsh residents have familiarity with heavy fog. Therefore, you should toggle your headlights to low-beam to improve visibility. Using your high beams in whiteout conditions will only reflect the light at you, further reducing your visibility.

PAY ATTENTION TO YOUR INSTRUMENT CLUSTER

Newer Chevrolet models come with electronic traction and stability control systems. These systems use advanced sensors to monitor things like wheel slippage, directional control, and engine RPM. These systems calculate the ever-changing data and automatically adjust systems to help keep your vehicle under control.

If you have these systems in your car, the instrument cluster will activate warning lights when the system detects a problem. If a warning light activates, your vehicle has detected a drop in traction and control. Ease up on the accelerator and give the car a chance to regain traction. If you don’t know what a warning light indicates, you should have one of our technicians check it out. You can schedule service online or stop by our service center on Philadelphia Road at any time.

LOOK WHERE YOU INTEND TO GO

Driving in wintry weather will eventually result in skidding, usually when you’re trying to corner or stop. When cornering, keep your eyes focused on your intended direction, not where you’re headed. Experts say you almost always end up where you’re looking, so keep your eyes focused on where you want to go.

CONTROL YOUR SKID

Skidding happens when driving on snow or ice, even to the most careful drivers. You could find yourself in one of three types of skids — a straight skid, a front-wheel skid, or a rear-wheel skid.

A straight skid occurs while traveling straight ahead and engaging the brakes. Because of snow or ice, your tires don’t have a good grip on the road. It feels like you’re in a giant sled and can’t stop. 

Don’t panic if this happens. Modern cars have anti-lock braking systems (ABS) that automatically pump the brakes. You can feel the ABS working through the vibrations in the brake pedal. Keep a steady pressure on the brakes and let the ABS do its job. Older vehicles without ABS can still control a straight skid by pumping the brake pedal manually.

In a front-wheel skid, the front tires lose traction while turning, resulting in your car taking a wider arc than intended. Don’t over-steer. Instead, ease off on the gas pedal, and in a second or two, your front tires should regain traction. 

Rear-wheel skids happen when the rear tires lose traction. This can occur when driving straight but most often happens during cornering. The rear tires lose traction, resulting in the rear of your car swinging out. Experts agree that steering your vehicle in the direction of the skid will help you regain control. Steering into the skid creates an opposing force that pushes the rear end back into line. Don’t hit the brakes and ease off on the accelerator and let the physics take over. 

WINTER EQUIPMENT

You can prepare your car for the winter by taking a few simple steps. First, you can install winter wiper blades designed to push the heavy snow. Second, switching to snow tires will improve traction, but many people in the Baltimore area get by just fine with all-season tires. Finally, make sure you have fresh antifreeze to protect against cold temperatures.

In your trunk, you can keep some valuable emergency items. A blanket and flashlight will help if you end up stranded. Snow chains cost less than $100 and significantly improve traction if you encounter extreme snowy conditions. Traction recovery tracks can help if you find yourself stuck in deep snow. Off-road enthusiasts use these in the mud, but they work equally as well in the snow. Finally, a portable jump starter will save you if your battery dies.

At Koons White Marsh Chevrolet, we know winter impacts how we drive. We hope you found our list of tips for driving in the snow helpful. If you feel like we left something important off the list, please send us an email. We’ll do our best to update the list to keep everyone informed.

Image via Flickr by frankieleon

Tags: Snow, Winter Driving Guide
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