The Best Advice for Driving in Snow

Driving in snowy conditions is no small task. It requires a special technique and the right touch to get it perfect and ensure a smooth journey. Driving in the snow can also be quite dangerous and poses a great risk to those in the car and everyone around them. Taking proper precautions can limit the risk involved in operating a vehicle in the snow. Several authorities on car crashes, such as AAA Auto Insurance, have published information to instruct people on how to drive in the snow safely. Here are the most important tips from car authorities to keep you safe as winter approaches.

To populate this list we looked at literature from car safety authorities such as insurance companies and the National Weather Service to determine which behaviors experts believed were strongest correlated to safe passage in snowy weather. We've also provided a little bit of scientific analysis to explain why some of these tips are important as they may seem counter-intuitive without an understanding of the scientific processes that drive them. We aimed to reproduce the most published tips for driving in the snow and the ones that were most backed by scientific literature.

This tip might seem like a no-brainer, but it's the most important takeaway from understanding the best way to get from point A to point B safely in the snow. Realistically, you should avoid driving at all costs. The best way to stay safe in snowy conditions is to stay home as much as possible. However, that's not always within the realm of human capabilities. Sometimes an emergency calls us out in the depths of winter and we can only answer its call.

The key to driving safely in the snow is to move slowly. The biggest risk to you, your passengers, and bystanders is you losing control of your car because of the slippery roads. If you take it slow, you're less likely to lose control and more likely to have time to react and regain control if something happens. Whenever you're changing speeds, do so slowly. There are no shortstops in snowy weather. Accelerate and decelerate slowly to ensure that you don't go sliding off the road.

Additionally, you should never use cruise control when driving the snow. Cruise control doesn't account for the extra slipperiness of a snowy road and can lead to accidents when utilized improperly.

Deflated or worn-out tires spell disaster for the slippery roads associated with driving in the snow. When the road is covered in ice, your car is already more likely to slip out of control when driving across the ice, and that's if your tires are properly inflated and have plenty of tread. If your tires need air or don't have enough tread to generate the traction needed to stay in control on the road, you may end up on the side of it.

It's possible to use other tools to give less-than-ideal tires a boost. Snow chains can help provide traction your car desperately needs to stay on the road even if your tires could use a replacement. Don't skimp this step or you might end up in a bad situation.

While you should leave plenty of space between you and cars in front of you anyway, it's especially important to increase your following distance when the ground is slippery, such as when it's snowing. It already takes an incredible amount of inertia to stop a car under ideal circumstances, under unideal ones, such as when there's less traction on the road, it can take even longer to stop your car once it's in motion. A following distance of less than five seconds could leave you with less space than you need to to come to a complete stop, should you need to stop your car completely.

It's especially important not to tailgate people when it's snowy. Following another car closely, even if they're moving slower than you would like them to, gives you even less time to react to stimuli while driving. Additionally, when it's snowing out the visibility can be lowered as well, making it even harder to react to things on the road.

If you can avoid coming to a complete stop, you should. Obviously stopping your car is practically an inevitability when driving, but there are situations where you can come to a rolling stop instead of a complete stop. As we mentioned above, the inertia needed to bring your car to a complete stop increases when the roads are slippery. Thus, it will take more force acting on your car to stop it. We've also mentioned that it's crucial to decelerate slowly instead of trying to stop on a dime. This means that you'll need to plan your stops to the best of your ability to ensure you have enough space to stop with the lowered traction on your tires.

Coming to a rolling stop can reduce the amount of inertia needed to functionally "stop" your car. When stopping for red lights, you can sometimes come to a partial stop and roll forward slowly while waiting for the light to change, preventing you from needing to stop completely and exert that extra inertia on your car. Thus, it might be easier to avoid coming to a complete stop altogether when driving in the snow.

When traction is low, trying to get up a hill can be one of the most daunting things you can do in a car. However, it's crucial that when going up a hill in the snow you do not stop. Stopping will reduce the traction your wheels have on the ground for a moment, giving your car a window to roll back down the hill out of control. When you stop in the snow, you also give your wheels a chance to get stuck, which can result in your tires failing to gain enough traction to keep moving forward. This can result in you getting stuck or, once again, rolling back down the hill.

Accelerating unnecessarily in the snow can result in the wheels getting stuck in the snow and spinning uselessly. So, if you're worried about getting up a hill okay, get some inertia going on a flat surface before you take on the hill. You can coast on the residual inertia and allow it to carry you to the top of the hill instead of trying to power your way to the top of the hill using your accelerator. Once you get to the top of the hill, decelerate slowly and take the downhill motion as slowly as possible to avoid slipping and sliding on the snow and ice on the roads.

When driving in the snow, it's always a good idea to keep emergency supplies on you. You don't have to go all out because you likely won't end up stranded for too long. However, keeping some fuel for your car, food, potable water, a flashlight, a glass scraper, blankets, any medications you might need to take (including emergency medications like ibuprofen), and some extra creature comforts will keep you entertained and ensure that you're not in too much danger if you do get stranded somewhere.

Additionally, you should keep at least half a tank of fuel in your car at all times during the winter. If you get stranded, you might need to run your car stationary to keep warm if it gets really cold. Having that extra fuel will help you make it through any severe weather situations that might leave you unable to reach your destination safely while still ensuring you have fuel to get home.