How to Drive on Snow and Ice without Chains


While the city will use commercial snow removal services to keep snow and ice off the road to the best of their ability, mitigating the issue in its entirety is not a possibility. Therefore, it’s of the utmost importance to be safe while driving in inclement weather to avoid car accidents on snow and ice. You need to inspect the condition of your tires and make sure you replace them when the tread is low. When driving in snow and ice you should take the time and slow down to ensure you arrive at your destination safely. The key to safe driving in snow and ice has to do with managing your vehicle that has minimal traction. This is attainable for most drivers. Be sure to be conscious of the movements you make. Try not to make any quick, sudden movements. Any small movement will be magnified due to the mass of the car. This may contribute to loss of control over the car. And if a reckless driver crashes into you then hire this albuquerque auto accident lawyer to help get you compensated for damages. I suggest you look into accident lawyers well before you are involved in one, as having to do so with a damaged vehicle and possibly dealing with your own injuries will be considerably more difficult.

Things You’ll Need:

Car

Good radials or snow tires

Starting From a Stop Position

Step 1

If your car has traction control, the turn it on. Then, gently accelerate. The traction control will help with car safely accelerate by automatically applying the appropriate amount of acceleration.

Step 2

If your car doesn’t come equipped with traction control, you will need to apply slowly, even pressure to the gas. Take care not to press too hard to start acceleration.

Step 3

Pay close attention to how your car is reacting. You will need to ease up on the accelerator if the tires on your car begin to spin. Tire spinning will make the road surface more slippery and increase the difficulty in your starting to move. A convex traffic mirror can literally save your life if you have a driveway with blind bends.

Recovering From a Skid

Step 1

If your car begins to skid, ease up on the accelerator and steer the car appropriately. Cars that are equipped with traction control recover easily.

Step 2

Make sure that the gas pedal is slightly pressed down on to make sure the engine does not act as a brake and increase the effects of the skid.

Step 3

Apply dual pressure on both the accelerator and the brake. Make sure the pressure was the same on both sides. This will prevent the engine from braking allowing you to keep the car on course.

Stopping on Snow and Ice

Step 1

If your car is equipped with ABS (anti lock brakes) then apply then as you would in normal conditions.  The ABS system will sense the wheel lock and lower the braking pressure to help bring your car to a complete stop as fast as is possible.

Step 2

Pumps your brakes intermittently if your car is not equipped with ABS. Do not lock your wheels; it will cause you to skid.

Step 3

Release your brakes. If your car slides, pump the brakes again.

Further Readings:

Filed Under: Cars & Vehicles

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About the Author: Vincent Carreno is a cars enthusiast who loves all things about cars and the automotive technology. He is also the chief editor at a local magazine which shares new, exciting and informative articles about troubleshooting car problems.

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