411 Pain – The Truth About Driving In Snow
411 Pain – The Truth About Driving In Snow
A snow storm can be fun for snowball fights and kid’s may be happy about getting off from school,
but snow can be a serious hazard to drive in, especially if you’re not prepared.
There are over 1.5 million car crashes per year due to bad weather, with an estimated 7000 deaths and 800,000 injuries!
411-Pain offers the following advice to help keep YOU from being among them:
When the first snow of the year falls, remember your skills are rusty. Take it easy – slow down and make sure to leave EXTRA room between you and the car ahead of you. Double or triple your normal following distance. For every 10mph of speed you should have 4 car lengths ahead to allow sufficient time to break. If you’re going 30mph, you should have a 12 car span between you and the car in front.
Don’t be fooled – just because you’re on the highway and all looks clear doesn’t mean it’s safe to drive your normal speed. It takes between 4 and 10 times longer to brake on ice or snow! Remember – there is no correct speed in bad weather; it all depends an the road conditions, your car & you. Even if there is no ice or snow on the ground yet, slow down when snow, sleet or freezing rain first begin to fall.
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Make sure you have the proper tires. While all weather tires do provide more traction, if you live in an area that gets frequent and heavy snow, snow tires are your best choice. Your tires should have at least a 6/32-inch tread.
Don’t be lulled into a false sense of safety just because you have four wheel drive. This helps to give more traction, but it does not make up for poor winter weather driving skills and smart safety precautions.
If you feel your car start to slip and slide, remain calm and DON’T BRAKE! This will not help get your traction back. Ease off the gas and let the car slow naturally while steering your car in the direction you want to go – away from the way you are skidding. If you do need to brake, apply steady and even pressure if you have anti-lock brakes as most modern cars do. If you have an older car without anti-lock breaks, then quickly keep braking over and over. (“pump the brake”)
Keep your car equipped with some basic emergency items such as a scraper, a snow shovel, some sand or cat litter, a flare and a flashlight. Also water, snacks and a blanket in case you are still unable to dig yourself out and you need to wait for rescue.
411 Pain, the leader in road safety awareness, tells you the truth about driving in snow to keep you safe on the road no matter what the conditions.
Everyone at 411-Pain reminds you to PLEASE:
Never text and drive, never drink and drive and always wear your seat belt.