What to do if your vehicle loses traction on winter roads

(WTAJMore) – about 900 people be killed According to the Department of Transportation, car accidents during snowfall or sleet occur on average every year. So what do you do when you start to lose control of your car?

Preparation is important, but even the best-equipped driver can lose control on sloppy snow or icy roads. That is why it is important to know in advance what to do if the car loses traction and starts to slide.

Tires are made to maintain contact with the ground at all times, so they are less likely to grip the road surface when winter weather conditions occur. This makes it easy to lose traction and fishtail/slide when the tires lose grip. can also occur.

What to do if you lose control

When the car starts to spin, it can feel frightening.But with Dan Robinson ice road safetyis on a mission to reduce the number of accidents caused by road icing and has shown exactly what needs to be done.

1. Don’t Panic: As difficult as it may be, panicking is the most damaging thing you can do.
2. Keep your feet off the gas. If you feel that you have lost control of the vehicle, take your foot off the accelerator until traction is restored.Using the accelerator spins the vehicle’s wheels and exacerbates skidding
3. Do not brake: This will probably be your first impulse, but hitting the brakes can lock the vehicle and make it slip worse, especially if you have an antilock braking system. must move freely.Once the tire gains traction, you should apply the brakes slowly
4. Getting into the skid: Slowly turn the wheel in the direction the rear of the vehicle is heading. How much you turn the steering wheel depends on how fast and how much the car is sliding.Keep doing this until everything lines up and straighten the wheel
   • Once you start correcting the slide, prepare the rear of the car to swing in the opposite direction
   • If you try to resist sliding by steering in the opposite direction to the direction the rear of the vehicle is traveling or by oversteering, you risk spinning out.

This is a video by Robinson. How to Correct Slides Correctly.

Anti-slip method

Winter storms are inevitable and drivers will eventually experience some slippage. but, AAA To reduce the chance of losing control, I have suggested some of the following:

1. Drive slowly: The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration recommends reducing speed by 1/3 on wet roads and 1/2 or more on snowy roads.Smooth and icy roads require even lower speeds
2. Accelerate slowly: Accelerating too fast can cause the tires to overspin and lose contact with the road
3. Do not hit the brakes: Hitting the brakes can cause the vehicle to start spinning.Allow extra stopping space so you can brake earlier and softer
4. Do not stop if you can avoid it. If you can slow it down enough to keep spinning until the light changes, do it. There is a big difference between the amount of inertia it takes to start moving after coming to a complete stop and the amount of inertia it takes to start moving while spinning.
5. Do not turn on the hill: Adding gasoline on a snowy road will only cause the tires to spin.Use a little inertia before reaching the hill and let that inertia take you to the top
6. Not using cruise control: Never use cruise control during snow, ice, or rain. When a car hydroplanes or skids, it accelerates and the wheels spin rapidly as it tries to maintain a constant speed.
7. Fill the tank with water: Fill your car more than half full. This increases the weight of the car and improves traction.
8. Get winter tires: Winter tires are manufactured differently than all-season tires. They are made of hydrophilic rubber, have large grooves between the blocks of the tread, and some are equipped with studs. I’m here.

what to do if you get stuck

tire reshwab and Whole country Each offered a few tips on what to do if you found yourself in a pile of snow.

1. Clear the path around the tire: Try to dig snow or ice a few feet in front of and behind the drive tires so you can roll the car back and forth. Also, remove snow from the tailpipes to prevent carbon monoxide from building up inside the vehicle.
2. Lock your car out of the snow. Carefully driving back and forth will help clear some of the snow around the wheels. But be careful not to break the transmission. Apply the brakes at the top of each “rock” to keep the car from moving when changing gears. It also helps to shift into neutral for 1 second before going from drive to reverse.
3. Do not put gas on the floor: If you don’t pedal forward or backward, you risk digging too deep into the snow
4. Add traction under the tire: If the car still won’t move, try using sand, salt, dirt, cat litter, etc. to improve traction and try filling it with gas again.
5. Please push: If you can get help, have someone push it for you while gently pushing the gas.

Equipment to keep in your car

of Pennsylvania Department of Transportation We recommend that you pack the following in your car:

1. flashlight and battery
2. battery operated radio
3. jumper cable
4. mobile phone and charger
5. shoveling snow
6. matches and candles
7. first aid supplies
8. very warm clothes and gloves
9. blanket
10. ice scraper
11. sand
12. bottled water
13. non-perishable food
14. Special accommodation (medicine, baby products, pet food, etc.)

know before you go

Finally, always check the weather forecast before heading out. Knowing how icy the roads are and whether a storm is coming later in the day can be the difference between going home, being stranded, or worse.