black ice

One of the most terrifying things in my life is driving on icy roads. Don’t believe me? Check out my last post. Every time I drive/walk anywhere on ice, it pretty much looks like this: It’s pretty amusing for everyone except me. That being said, a little snow often brings a lot of terror on the roads. If you hit the ice right, you’ll find yourself with zero control of your car and where it ends up. Granted, sometimes people get extremely lucky: But people aren’t always as lucky as the folks above. That being said, I’m going to give all of you some tips for driving in the snow/on ice. 1. Firstly, don’t be a hero (or in this sense, don’t be dumb) — there’s no need to be zipping around, flying around corners, or riding the car in front of you when the road is covered in ice. Slow your roll. Drive slowly, slowly apply brakes when necessary, and take corners extremely slowly. 2. If you live in a place where it tends to snow quite a bit, it’s worth it to invest in snow chains or winter tires. This does not include all-season tires. 3. If your vehicle is rear-wheel drive, place some sandbags in your trunk over the rear axle. The extra weight will allow more traction for your wheels in snowy conditions. Make sure not to add too much, because that could sling out the rear of the car in a turn. 4. If you find yourself sliding, let up on the gas and gently turn your wheels in the direction you want to go — it’s as easy as that. Make sure you don’t over-correct re-apply gas until you’re headed in the direction you want to go. 5. If you start hydroplaning, ease off the gas (but not completely). 6. When faced with a hill, do not slow down at the base (you need enough momentum to get up the hill, after all). But when you are about to drive down a hill, slow down before you start heading down, and the coast down as long as you can. 7. Don’t get too tense. White-knuckling your steering wheel will only stress you out even more. Just learn to relax.