Tuesday, March 31, 2009

Practice Safe Winter Driving Techniques

Practice Safe Winter Driving Techniques

Winter is finally on its way out of here in Fairfax and Loudoun Counties. Not long ago, winter brought us ice, snow, slippery roads, and poor visibility. Winter driving is necessary and nothing can be done to avoid it.

While the best advice is to not drive at all, that's not an option for most of us here in Virginia (South Riding & Chantilly area zips incl. 20151, 20152 and 20105). If you must drive, here are some simple precautions you can take to minimize the risk of accidents and injuries:

  • Decrease your speed and leave yourself plenty of room to stop. You should allow at least three times more space than usual between you and the car in front of you.
  • Brake gently to avoid skidding. If your wheels start to lock up, ease off the brake.
  • Turn on your lights to increase your visibility to other motorists.
  • Keep your lights and windshield clean.
  • Use low gears to keep traction, especially on hills.
  • Don't use cruise control or overdrive on icy roads.
  • Be especially careful on bridges, overpasses and infrequently traveled roads, which will freeze first. Even at temperatures above freezing, if the conditions are wet, you might encounter ice in shady areas or on exposed roadways like bridges.
  • Don't pass snow plows and sanding trucks. The drivers have limited visibility, and you're likely to find the road in front of them worse than the road behind.
  • Don't assume your vehicle can handle all conditions. Even four-wheel and front-wheel drive vehicles can encounter trouble on winter roads.

If you should lose traction:

  • Take your foot off the accelerator.
  • Steer in the direction you want the front wheels to go. If your rear wheels are sliding left, steer left. If they're sliding right, steer right.
  • If your rear wheels start sliding the other way as you recover, ease the steering wheel toward that side. You might have to steer left and right a few times to get your vehicle completely under control.
  • If you have standard brakes, pump them gently.
  • If you have anti-lock brakes (ABS), do not pump the brakes. Apply steady pressure to the brakes. You will feel the brakes pulse — this is normal.


If you should get stuck:

  • Do not spin your wheels. This will only dig you in deeper.
  • Turn your wheels from side to side a few times to push snow out of the way.
  • Use a light touch on the gas, to ease your car out.
  • Use a shovel to clear snow away from the wheels and the underside of the car.
  • Pour sand, kitty litter, gravel or salt in the path of the wheels, to help get traction.
  • Try rocking the vehicle by shifting from forward to reverse, and back again. Each time you're in gear, give a light touch on the gas until the vehicle gets going.


For more information contact Khalid Umerani, NOVA Insurance Group, here in Chantilly / South Riding, Va. 20151 at http://www.south-riding-insurance.com or http://www.loudoun-insurance.com

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posted by Khalid Umerani @ 12:20 PM
NOVA Insurance (20152) Group - Loudoun Insurance
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