The Best Advice on Winter Driving
When in Calgary, we are supposed to master the knack of winter driving, especially in heavy rainfall. However, the statistics still tell a very different story. As per the numbers, the road toll is still high when it comes to driving on snow-clogged roads. However, there are a few different winter driving tips that could help us reduce the rate of fatalities, making the winter driving course in Calgary vital for everybody.
- Slow Down
Although it may seem clear, many drivers believe they are exempt from speed limitations if they have winter tires and all-wheel or 4-wheel drive. However, this is not at all the case.
Your actions on the road (as with practically anyplace else) have a direct influence on others around you, and you are more able to move and stop abruptly than drivers who don’t have these items. Because you have decent tires and 44 capabilities, you can drive like a complete yahoo, which will likely result in collisions with others who lack such skills.
In other words, just because you can stop & turn on an icy dime doesn’t mean the guy behind/beside you can too. So, it would be better to slow down and make a smart move by reducing your speed.
- Don’t use cruise control
This fact holds true for both sloppy, rainy summer highways and ice, frigid winter ones.
As you are surely aware, cruise control maintains a vehicle’s speed. This may be fantastic for lengthy car journeys, but spinning out of control on a slick freeway road is very terrifying.
Sometimes the only thing keeping your car moving straight when driving on icy roads is pure momentum, not the contact of the tires with the ground. Your automobile starts spinning the instant that momentum is lost.
If you’re not utilizing cruise control, you can only observe your car’s response to modest deceleration in order to be aware of its traction.
- Carry an emergency road kit
This may be repeating the obvious once more. But we are astonished by the number of drivers who do not have a basic emergency kit in their cars, whether it be one they built themselves or purchased.
Your kit doesn’t have to be elaborate, but it should contain the following:
A flashlight, a snow shovel and brush, jumper cables, a candle, matches, a deep container (like an empty coffee can) to store the candle, energy bars, a blanket, water, and first aid materials. For better guidance, take a winter driving course in Calgary and ensure that you deeply understand what is to be done when taking on the roads.
- Use good snow tires.
There are certain snow tires that are better than others. Be on the lookout for tires with the “alpine” emblem. This symbol resembles a snowflake inside of a three-peaked mountain. The use of a rubber that stays soft and sticky in freezing temperatures and on ice indicates that the tire has been particularly created for usage in snowy situations.
- Be aware of road and weather conditions
It is as easy as consulting the road reports before leaving. Additionally, follow your instinct; if you have a hunch that the conditions won’t be ideal, prepare by thinking of a different route to take or, if possible, postpone your trip till they are.
