snow driving
Drivers, beware! It's snowing out there.
Every time it snows all the drivers suddenly forget how to drive. And true, driving in the snow is different than driving in the dry. So it's understandable. It's not like we live in Ottawa, which has tons of precipitation and consistent below-freezing temperature in winters. I guess folks forget those snow-driving skills every time the leaves turn green. It's not like winter comes every year.
For those who forgot - quick reminder. There's just a couple of simple rules you need to follow for safe winter driving.
First, even before you take off - properly defrost and clean all of your windows. Yes, including the passenger ones. And the roof too. I'm pretty sure you can be ticketed with dangerous driving if you have ice being blown away from the top of your car into other cars around you.
Second, keep your distance. From everyone. Take the usual safe distance and then triple it. Then add some more. This will allow you to a) brake smoother and with more confidence, even if it's slippery; b) more time to react in case something unexpected happens. Simply keeping your distance to the car in front will give you a greater peace of mind. And will keep you a lot safer.
Third, and most important rule - move like you're in slow-mo. And I don't mean actual speed - this can be fairly high, depending on road conditions. What I mean is that all your moves need to be as smooth as possible. Don't ever do sudden lane changes, sharp turns, rapid braking or accelerating. Unless you're on race track or in a controlled environment. Smooth out all the trajectories and manoeuvres. This will make sure that you end up where you wanted to go in the first place. And not in a ditch somewhere on a side of a highway.
That's it. If you follow these three rules and have a little bit of common sense - you won't have to fear the snow and be a lot more confident on any winter roads.
Hope this helps someone. Drive safe!
P.S. Post inspired by old white Golf GTI who did some weird shit and ended up spinning and smashing into the highway divider right in front of us. Good thing there weren't other cars around so he did not hit anybody. Dude, if you're reading this - good luck with your insurance provider.
This post is part of the #100days project, where I try to write a post a day. Today is #day27