Last night's drive home from commuter rail station to our house was 90 minutes of fun (it's normally about 10 minutes). No really - it was fun. It was really amusing seeing all of the people who don't know how to drive in the snow slide about like crazy bumper cars. There was also vast evidence that most drivers have ZERO understanding of physics. It was gratifying, once I found a path from the station to home that was not completely blocked up with incompetent drivers, to be able to use my winter-equipped little two-seater to drive on past with ease and get home safely.
With that in mind, I present Josh's rules for driving in the snow:
1) Do you really need to be out on the road? If not, STAY WHERE YOU ARE.
2a) If you don't know how to drive in snow, DON'T DRIVE IN SNOW.
2b) Just because you think you know how to drive in snow, doesn't mean you actually do (see: Dunning–Kruger effect). If you haven't actually taken lessons in how to do it safely, you aren't an expert; you are a DANGEROUS POSER, and should STAY OFF THE ROAD.
3) Clean ALL of the snow off of your vehicle before starting to drive. Yes, that includes the trunk, and the ROOF. Even if it's a tall vehicle. Visibility is already bad enough without your IDIOCY INDUCED WHITEOUT.
4a) "High performance" tires, low-profile tires, super-wide tires, and most "all-season" tires are useless in snow. And if tires are bald they are dangerous. If you have any of these on your car in a snowstorm you are a MENACE TO SOCIETY.
4b) Your grandfather knew what he was doing when he put snow tires on the Packard on the first of November, and kept them on until the first of April. SNOW TIRES FOR THE WIN.
5) Does your car have low clearance? Have you padded your opinion of yourself by modding a low-end hatchback into a suspension-lowered extension for your ego? Do you own a muscle car of any sort? If so, your car is a tool for inflating your self-opinion, NOT a tool for getting from point A to point B. You should also note that it's really hard to get traction when the floor pan of the car is sliding across the top of the accumulated snow like a college student sledding on a cafeteria tray. PULL ASIDE for those of us who have the RIGHT SKILLS and the RIGHT TOOLS.
6) Just because you have an SUV or 4-wheel-drive doesn't mean that you are top rally driver Carlos Sainz. High clearance is useless without appropriate tires. 4-wheel-drive doesn't help when all four wheels are spinning. And your high center of gravity means you are more likely to die in a rollover accident. THE CAR DOESN'T MAKE THE DRIVER!
7) Read your car's instructions on how to use it in snow. With all of the modern traction control systems, ABS, and fancy transmissions, it can be complicated and the right settings are not the same on all vehicles. If you don't know how to set your car for snow, DON'T DRIVE IT IN SNOW!
8a) As a general rule, the best method for driving in snow is to use low gear, control your speed using the throttle, and touch the brake as little as possible, only when absolutely necessary or when coming to a stop. The key is for your wheels NEVER to be spinning. If your wheels are spinning more than just a little you are DONE. If your wheels are stopped but the car is still moving you are DONE. You have no control.
8b) Better: If you have an automatic transmission, or a transmission that cannot be set into manual mode it's probably just best for you to stay home. MANUAL TRANSMISSIONS RULE IN SNOW.
9) Correcting for a skid requires turning your front wheels in the same direction that the rear of the vehicle is sliding (aka "turning into the slide"). You should have practiced this on a course when learning to drive, but what can I say, licensing requirements in this country are a sorry joke. If you don't know how to correct for a skid, you have no business being behind the wheel in any weather.
10) Use PHYSICS! Get some speed and momentum up before starting up a hill, but not so much that you are out of control. On the other hand, going down-hill is the time to be as conservative as possible with your speed. YOU HAVE TO PLAN USING YOUR KNOWLEDGE OF PHYSICS! Driving in snow is a puzzle to be solved. It requires CAREFUL THOUGHT, not just timidity.
11) Speaking of PHYSICS, how about you don't tailgate? If you are 10 feet off my rear bumper, and something happens, you ARE going to hit me. I don't care much about the rear of my beat up 2001. But I'm sure that replacing the grille on the front of your Mercedes S Class is going to set you back at least $5k.
12) Be aware that conditions change. There may be ice underneath that snow. What was passable 10 minutes ago might not be passable now. Be prepared with a plan, a backup plan, and another backup plan. CHANGE IS THE RULE!
13) Finally:
STAY OFF THE ROAD.
NO, REALLY. STAY OFF THE ROAD.
Stay home. Get a hotel. Find a friends house where you can crash. Do something.
But STAY OFF THE ROAD!
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Originally Posted by Dr_Watson
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