During the winter, when snow covers much of the country, it reminds me that there are many elements of safety. So many people think that self-defense and safety only involve learning physical fighting skills, often taught as a form of martial art. However, in reality, there are many things that are more apt to hurt or kill you that the hulking behemoth jumping out of the bushes that you imagine when practicing your martial skills. A very important survival and self-defense skill for many people to learn is defensive driving, and by many people, I mean anyone who gets behind the wheel of an automobile. It’s not enough to only know how to turn the key, press the gas or brake, and turn the steering wheel. Anyone who drives should take the time to learn more about defensive and safe driving. It can be more of a self-defense measure than any martial art class. And if you live where it snows, you must learn and practice driving on snow and ice. And for those that don’t normally have to drive in such conditions, but find themselves in such a predicament, knowing what to do on ice and snow before you need it is a good safety measure.
First and foremost, follow all of the common sense safety habits that you should always follow, at an even higher degree. That means follow the speed limit, or slower if conditions warrant a slower speed, but don’t drive fast. Wear your seat belt, and stay off the phone and pay close attention to what you are doing. You should always do these, but in winter conditions, it is even more important.
You should always anticipate trouble too, but in winter, this is increased. Be wary of dark spots, black ice, which many times lingers in shade, but can be found anywhere is more dangerous than lighter areas of snow pack. There is a highway I drive in Montana frequently, and I know the areas that are shaded because of mountains often have ice, even when the rest of the highway is bare, so I pay more attention than usual when I enter those areas. Do the same.
Don’t overreact if your vehicle does start to slide, you will make it worse. First, you should feel your vehicle through the seat of your pants. For you martial artists out there, think of Bruce Lee in “Enter the Dragon,” when he said, “feeel.” When the car does start to slide, stay off the brakes and and regain traction and by turning into the slide. If you overreact, by turning to sharply, hitting the brake or accelerator, you may find yourself in the ditch. A little practice in a safe area can help you get the feel of this.
Learn to brake properly in your vehicle. If you have antilock brakes, they do some of the work for you, but I still don’t like locking them up with the pulsating under my brake foot, so you should work on slowing down without having to use the antilock feature. Remember to down shift to slow down in a standard transmission, and it can work with an automatic at times too. If you don’t have antilock brakes, apply varying amounts of steady pressure to help you slow. (You can also learn to pump them, but this takes a bit more practice) The safest thing is to drive carefully so you don’t have use the brakes much. Also, remember, if you are sliding toward something at an icy corner by a stop sign or similar area, stay off the brakes and get over to the side where there is snow, rather than the ice where everyone has been applying brakes, and you will be able to stop easier. Also remember that hitting a snow bank is often preferable to hitting another vehicle. Getting out of the tracks of other vehicles that have been worn slick also helps you gain traction to go up hills and such too.
One time you may start to slide is cornering, so learn to corner correctly. As a general rule, enter slow, and don’t accelerate until you’re past the corner’s apex and leaving the turn. Accelerate smoothly and evenly to help prevent sliding.
If you live somewhere that snows a lot, it can be worth it to purchase snow tires for winter driving. I saw a test on television and snow tires made a huge difference in stopping distance on snow and ice from summer tires and all season tires. (The all season tires did better than the summer, but not near as well as winter tires.)
Know the limitations of the vehicle you drive, and drive smart. I get around in Montana with a two wheel drive vehicle, but I know not to drive places where I’d drive with a 4WD or AWD vehicle. And if you drive one of the latter, don’t get cocky and think you can go anywhere or do anything. Know your limitations.
These are just a few tips and suggestions to help make your winter driving more safe. Remember, when you are behind the wheel of an automobile, you have the power to kill others or yourself, and it is up to you to ensure your own safety and to make sure you don’t endanger others on the road. To stay safe, drive safe!
Here’s a short video on driving on ice from Inside Edition (2/16/16).
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