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Driving on Snow or Ice
Most of the time, those places where the tires meet the
road probably have good traction.
However, if there is snow or ice between the tires and the
road, you can have a very slippery situation. You have a
lot less traction, or grip, and need to be very careful.
What is the worst time for this? Wet ice. Very cold snow
or ice can be slick and hard to drive on. But wet ice can
be even more trouble because it can offer the least
traction of all. You can get wet ice when it is about
freezing, 32°F (0°C), and freezing rain begins to fall.
Try to avoid driving on wet ice until salt and sand crews
can get there.
Whatever the condition — smooth ice, packed, blowing,
or loose snow — drive with caution.
If your vehicle has the Traction Control System (TCS), it
will improve your ability to accelerate when driving on a
slippery road. But you can turn the TCS off if you ever
need to. You should turn the TCS off if your vehicle ever
gets stuck in sand, mud, ice, or snow. See If Your Vehicle
is Stuck in Sand, Mud, Ice, or Snow on page 4-18. Even if
you have TCS, slow down and adjust your driving to the
road conditions. Under certain conditions, you might want
to turn the TCS off, such as when driving through deep
snow and loose gravel, to help maintain vehicle motion
at lower speeds. See Traction Control System (TCS)
on page 4-7.
4-16
If your vehicle does not have TCS, accelerate gently.
Try not to break the fragile traction. If you accelerate too
fast, the drive wheels will spin and polish the surface
under the tires even more.
Unless your vehicle has the Antilock Brake
System (ABS), you will want to brake very gently, too.
If you do have ABS, see Antilock Brake System (ABS)
on page 4-5. ABS improves your vehicle's stability when
you make a hard stop on a slippery road. Whether your
vehicle has ABS or not, begin stopping sooner than you
would on dry pavement. Without ABS, if you feel your
vehicle begin to slide, let up on the brakes a little. Push
the brake pedal down steadily to get the most traction
you can.
Remember, unless your vehicle has ABS, if you brake so
hard that the wheels stop rolling, you will just slide. Brake
so the wheels always keep rolling and you can still steer.
•
Whatever your vehicle's braking system, allow
greater following distance on any slippery road.
•
Watch for slippery spots. The road might be fine
until you hit a spot that is covered with ice. On an
otherwise clear road, ice patches can appear in
shaded areas where the sun cannot reach, such as
around clumps of trees, behind buildings, or under
bridges. Sometimes the surface of a curve or an
overpass can remain icy when the surrounding roads
are clear. If you see a patch of ice ahead of you,
brake before you are on it. Try not to brake while you
are actually on the ice, and avoid sudden steering
maneuvers.
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