Driving in bad weather is a very treacherous task and I feel it is necessary to give some quick tips on how to stay safe. Some of the worry from driving in bad weather isn't the uncertainty of your own driving, but the other drivers on the road. The main thing is to always be prepared and to always know what to do in case of an emergency, and only drive if absolutely necessary. The best way to avoid danger is to avoid the situation if possible.
1. Have a plan in place in case you get stuck and have no traction.
In NC most people don't have the proper tires for slick snow and ice so in preparation for winter, keep an old t-shirt or towel and some sticks in your car. If you get stuck, wrap the shirt around the sticks and place it behind a rear wheel if you drive a rear wheel drive vehicle or a front wheel if you drive a front wheel drive vehicle and if your car is four wheel drive and you are stuck it's your preference. Once you put the contraption behind the tires this will give you a bit of traction and get you going again.
2. Just because it is slick, that does not mean drive 10 miles an hour on every road.
If the road is completely covered in ice, avoid it. But speed can help you in some instances (this doesn't mean I want you to speed, but in a 35, 25/30 isn't as dangerous as 10). Going too slow can get you stuck and going too fast can make you lose control. For this tip the only thing I can say is experience is everything. If you get a light flurry and the roads are worse than normal, but not terrible, then go out and drive a bit around the block. Learn what your car can and cannot do in a safe environment before you drive on main roads.
3. Always use your lights
I know this may seem like common sense, but I drive around Greensboro a lot and I drive a lot at night and I see people with their lights off in rain and in pitch black darkness at 11 pm. If you cannot see, you cannot drive. This means keeping your windshield clear as well. Warm your car up and if you have a layer of ice or snow on your windshield, use your defroster and melt and scrape that off before you take it out of park. You would be very surprised at what I have seen people leave on their windshield.
4. Use your instincts as a driver.
Unless you drive like Ricky Bobby on a regular basis, you probably have common sense, and you need to use it. This may sound dumb, but the part of your body that really feels the car is your butt. You can feel when something starts to go wrong before you see it happening. Be mindful of everything and be alert, almost on edge. A long career of driving and routine driving is your worst enemy. The majority of car accidents occur within a mile of the driver's house; this is because you get in a pattern and a routine and you feel like you could drive it in your sleep, but this false. This applies to driving everywhere in ice or snow. Reacting to an issue, and timing can be the most useful tool.
This concludes my list of essentials when driving in snow or ice. I will never claim to be an expert so please for every driver's sake, do your own research and learn everything you can about driving in snow and use little instances of storms and flurries to get a bit of experience. Please be safe and I will reiterate the safest tip... only drive if it is absolutely necessary.
