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Driving in Mud, Sand, Snow or Ice
When you drive in mud, snow or sand, your wl~ecls
won't get good traction. You ca11.t accelerate
;IS
quickly,
turning is nm-e difficult, and you'll need longer
braking distances.
It's best to use
a
low gear when you're i n mud -- the
deeper the mud, the lower the gear. I n really deep mud.
the idea is to keep your vehicle moving
so
~ O L I
d o n ' t
get stuck.
When you drive on sand, you'll sense a change i n wheel
traction. But
it
will depend upon how loosely p ~ ~ k e d
the
sand is. On loosely prncked
sand (as on
beaches o r sand
dunes) your tires will tend
t o
sink into the
sand.
This has
a11
effect on steering. accelerating and braking. You may
want
t o
reduce the air pressure i n your tires slightly
when driving on sand. This will ilnprove traction.
Hard packed snow and ice offer the worst tire traction.
On these surfaces, it's very easy to lose control.
On
wet
ice, for example, the traction is so poor that you will
have difficulty accelerating. And if you do get moving.
poor steering and difficult braking
can
C ~ L I S ~
you
t o
slide
out of colltl*ol.
Driving on frozen lakes, ponds or
w s can be
dangerous. Underwat.er springs, currents under
the ice, or sudden thaws can weaken the ice. Your
vehicle could fall through the ice and you and
your passengers could drown. Drive your vehicle
on safe surfaces only.
Driving in Water
4-26
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