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Being able to stop your vehicle key to safe winter driving |
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Written by Pamela Roth
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Tuesday, 06 January 2009 |
Everybody’s talking about it. The snow-covered roads throughout the city have become a nightmare for drivers. Vehicles getting stuck in knee-deep snow or veering off the road into a snow-filled ditch have become a common sight on roads in and out of the city, but it doesn’t have to be that way if more motorists abided by the rules of winter driving.
“The key in winter driving is to be able to stop your vehicle,” said Brian Aman, driving instructor with the Alberta Motor Association. “Most collisions, statistically, are rear-end collisions, no matter if it’s summer or winter. It just exasperates the situation in winter because it takes you longer to control a vehicle.”
According to Aman, the three most important tips for winter driving are to slow down, leave plenty of space between your vehicle and the one in front of you, and lay off on the brakes and accelerator.
Those who tend to slam on the brakes will have their wheels lock up, resulting in a loss of steering control. Stomping on the gas pedal has a similar effect, added Aman, which can cause vehicles to veer out of their lane.
On dry roads, the rule is to leave a two-second following distance between vehicles travelling at 50 km/hr. In the winter, that time should be closer to four or five seconds to allow adequate time to stop on slick roads.
But some drivers simply aren’t winter wary. If it seems as though many of the vehicles that do end up in the ditch are SUVs and large four-wheel drives, that’s because they are.
Some drivers who get behind the wheel of a four-wheel drive tend to think they are invincible and ignore the rules of winter driving, said Aman, and find themselves losing control of their vehicle on icy roads.
“People with four-wheel drive sometimes forget about winter driving. These vehicles are heavier and have more mass, therefore it takes longer to stop them and a lot of people don’t understand that,” he said. “It gives them a false sense of security. When you drive them, you have to still be very cautious and aware of the conditions on the road.”
Even though winters don’t generally tend to get too ugly in southern Alberta, there are driving schools around town that teach motorists the skills necessary for driving the wonderful roads of winter.
Many of the people who participate in the driving classes are new Canadians who haven’t experienced winter, while others are new drivers wanting to brush up on their winter driving skills.
Whatever their intentions may be, it doesn’t hurt to gain more knowledge about driving in treacherous conditions to make the roads safer.
“There is a culture here that if you are 16 you can drive, know all about it and don’t have to take training. It doesn’t work well that way,” said Aman. “No matter who we are or what we do, we can always be better and there are people available to help you get better.”
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