Driving is an activity that always requires maximum concentration and caution in order to drive safely and avoid accidents. However, sometimes this activity is even more complicated, as is the case in certain seasons of the year and, especially, in winter.
Steps to follow:
First of all, it is very important that you take into account the general recommendations for driving in winter, since during this time of year it is necessary to exercise extreme caution in the face of possible inclement weather such as ice and snow. Thus, it will be essential to know how to prepare the car for winter, which includes checking the status and operation of various aspects such as:
- antifreeze liquid
- Battery
- tires
- Lights
- dispose of chains
If you do not feel qualified to check it yourself, the most appropriate thing would be for you to go to your trusted mechanical workshop so that they can tune up your vehicle. In the same way, it will also be interesting to take some measures when winter arrives, such as keeping the car in a garage or under cover to prevent frost from freezing the windshields and windows; For this reason, we also recommend our article on how to take care of the car in winter.
The information before hitting the road will be another of the most important factors that you must take into account, that is, consult the weather forecast to keep up to date with possible storms or other weather-related adversities. This fact is especially important on long trips to find out if any road or mountain pass is closed or driving requires extreme caution. Similarly, driving at night or in the early hours of the morning increases the risk of encountering ice and snow on the road, since during the central hours of the day there is a possibility that the sun’s rays reduce the possibility of freezing the roads.
It is essential that you know that, in most cases, the ice sheets are not visible and we do not realize that the road is frozen until we reach that point of the road. However, it should be noted that shady and humid areas are the ones that are most likely to be affected by frost, as well as when temperatures are below 4ºC. Currently most vehicles have an indicator when the temperature drops below this value that can serve as a warning to keep alert to the maximum.
Therefore, when driving on ice we must respect some basic rules:
- reduce speed
- increase the safety distance
- drive with high gears
- avoid sudden braking and accelerating
- do not get too close to the inside of curves
In the same way, in the event that the rear of the car goes out of control when taking a curve, it will be important to turn the steering wheel in the opposite direction to straighten the vehicle; If it is the front part that does not adhere to the surface as it should, we should lift our foot off the accelerator and never brake suddenly. So, it will be important to react quickly but remain calm. If you are forced to brake, you should always do so gently to prevent wheelspin or skidding.
In the event that instead of ice we find snow on the road, the considerations will be different and, above all, the use of chains will be very important. That is why we recommend you consult our section on motors to find the best advice.
