How to drive in snow? The most important thing: stay at home if you can! Leave your house in extreme weather conditions only when absolutely necessary. In this case the travel time may be longer. Use the following tips to plan your trip!
‘Snow glows white on the mountain tonight’
If you have to drive in snow, remember:
- always clear the snow off your car before you leave
- use the highways, they are cleaned more often and you can get help more easily if necessary
- choose your speed taking into account visibility and road conditions, in these cases the speed limit is often lower
- stay at a safe distance to have time to react to the slipping or spinning cars
‘Not a footprint to be seen’
How to drive in dense fog? If you follow these tips, you will feel safer:
- do not use driving beam lamps, this is a bad idea as the light is reflected by the fog
- there is a misunderstanding about the use of fog lights: do not switch them on at the first sign of fog, but use them only when visibility is less than 100 meters
- do not use the car in front of you as a reference point: this is dangerous, there are many accidents in these cases
- in fog the air is very humid: for the fastest drying, use the air conditioner
- Roll down the window, the sounds can help you find the way.
- Your eyes tire more quickly due to strained attention. Rest more often.
‘A kingdom of isolation’
How to drive on icy roads?
- drive with slow, subtle maneuvers
- do not panic if the car slips: navigate in the direction of the slip
- do not brake suddenly, plan ahead and slow down in time, test the road grip, try a flat, rather desolate section
- do not brake when turning, but brake before the bend
- if you have a car with manual transmission, start in second gear
- when the road is icy, overtaking is particularly dangerous: if you leave the track or return to the track, you can easily spin, if you have to change lanes, drive carefully but forcefully
‘And it looks like I'm the queen’
If you get stuck somewhere at the end of the world, dig a path with a spade or put a cloth (sack) or cat litter under the wheel. If these methods do not work and you have to wait for help, you should have a survival kit: warm clothes and blankets, water and food (chocolate, cereal bars), a charger and a charged power bank.
author: Linda Billinger – ALD Head of Support