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What Differences Should I Make When Driving in Deep Snow?
It can be very scary having to drive when there is lots of snow out, but most of the time you’ll have no choice. That’s why it’s so important that you are prepared for when snow strikes.
You’ll need to make sure you have the necessary items ready for your car. Here are a few things you can do to get ready for deep snow driving, these will all help lessen the risk.
Make sure you have a 50/50 mix of water and antifreeze inside your cooling system, this needs to be done for all cars during winter months. The majority of cars have special long life anti freeze already put in the car, you can’t mix this with any other kind of anti freeze. If you’re not positive what type of anti freeze your car uses, stop by your dealer to find out.
Another thing you need to have ready is screen wash. With all the salt and grit on the roads your windscreen can get dirty really fast. This makes it quite hard to see while you are driving. Make sure that you have your screen wash at the right levels before driving in snowy weather.
The third thing you’ll need to do is make sure that your car tyres are in good condition. You’ll want to have a tread of at least 3mm for your car tyres when driving in winter weather. You’ll also want to make sure that you follow your manufacturers recommended levels for your tyre pressure.
Tips For Driving In The Snow
When you are driving around in the snow you’ll want to steer in a gentle, steady manner. Don’t go too fast, you will want to keep an even speed if you accelerate too quickly you could lose control of your vehicle. Don’t go too slowly either though, without enough speed you won’t have the momentum you need.
Accelerate, steer, and break as smoothly as you can. Your breaking distances are going to be at least 10 times longer than normal you have to take this into consideration. Get used to how your breaks respond in these conditions it’s not the same as in normal driving conditions. Your ABS breaking system will also suffer from some negative effects make sure to make use of your gears to slow down.
If you get stuck in the snow there are several things you can do to make sure you make it out unharmed. Keeping the following things in your car is a good first step; Spare clothing and blanket, water, food, and mobile phone. A great way to keep yourself warm is by using your car’s engine. You’ll only want to do this for 15 min per hour though.