If you have to drive on the ice, it can be very dangerous because you can quickly lose control. Even a minor course correction can cause your car to lose traction and spin, enter the oncoming lanes or even leave the roadway entirely. In a split second, you can go from driving safely to finding yourself involved in a serious crash.
Thankfully, there are some tactics you can use to make it easier to drive safely on the ice this year. Let’s look at a few of them below.
Don’t use the brakes
If you do start sliding or you notice that your vehicle is on the ice, it’s usually best not to hit the brakes. Aggressive braking just causes your vehicle to lose any level of control that it left. To slow down, you’re better off to simply take your foot off the gas and then focus on steering safely.
Watch the edges of the road
In some cases, people will feel that they are driving safely even when the road is rather slick. If there is snow and slush on the side of the road, this can be your biggest danger. Even hitting it with one wheel for a fraction of a second can pull your car to the side and cause you to lose control.
Steer into the skid
If you do end up losing control, you want to turn into the skid. Don’t fight against it. Often, simply remaining calm and carefully angling your wheels in the proper direction can cause you to regain control once your car ends up on dry pavement once again.
Don’t use cruise control
Finally, don’t use the cruise control when driving in the winter. It negates the car’s ability to naturally slow itself down without the use of the brakes. Cruise control also keeps pushing the vehicle forward after a loss of control, which may mean that a spin or a skid is much worse than it needed to be – and that the crash happens at higher speeds.
If you do get injured in an accident caused by another driver, who perhaps was not driving safely on the ice, then you need to know how to seek financial compensation.