Posts Tagged ‘winter driving’
With every new snowfall, at least 70-80 car accidents occur within the city. I shouldn’t even be calling these “accidents” as many of these collisions are avoidable. I have driven through Calgary winters in all sorts of vehicles: those that are equipped with a rear-wheel, front-wheel and all-wheel drivetrain. I have also driven in cars equipped with all-seasons as well as winter tires. Despite what you may hear, vehicles of all types can be driven in the winter, it is all about equipping your vehicle with proper tires and most importantly, driving for the conditions.
1. Get winter tires.
This is one of the most important things to consider if you drive regularly in the winter. The most common argument I hear from people that don’t have winters on their car is that they have the best all-season tires and they have never had any issues driving with them. They’ve never been stuck and don’t feel that the cost of winter tires is worth it. The fact is, with all-else being equal, a vehicle equipped with winter tires will have more traction than a vehicle equipped with all-seasons. This additional traction allows you to accelerate quicker, corner faster, and stop in shorter distance. You may drive with the utmost care and attention but one factor you cannot control is other people. If someone cuts you off, the few extra feet of braking distance that winter tires reduce could make all the difference.
2. Ease up on the brakes
The roads are slick and you’re trying to turn onto a side street. You apply the brakes and you feel the car sliding. You turn the steering wheel but the car doesn’t respond, its just sliding and you feel like you’ve lost control. What most people will do in this situation is crank the wheel even more as they slide past the street where they are trying to turn. Worst case scenario, you slide into an intersection and get hit by another vehicle. If this ever happens to you, try easing off the brakes instead of cranking your wheel more. During that moment where the most common instinct is to turn the wheel more your foot will naturally want to apply more brakesto slow the vehicle down. The problem is, on slick winter streets applying the brakes wont make the car stop, it will just make turning more difficult.
3. Ease up on the accelerator
Back during the big storm on December 4th when all the roads across the city were ice rinks, I saw people trying to get their cars going spinning their tires away. On every hill this just became outright dangerous. If you try to get your car going and it just slides from side to side, your tires are spinning. The key to trying to get going in this situation is to ease up on the throttle. If you drive an automatic, just let go of the accelerator completely and let the car roll on its own to get going. I know, this sounds really obvious but next snowfall I can guarantee you’ll see someone spinning their wheels away trying to get going.
The second part to this is when you’re already moving. Those speed limit signs have a very important word above the number. It says ‘Maximum’. It does not mean you should be travelling at that speed even when the roads are covered in ice. Don’t feel you need to be travelling at the speed limit. If someone is tailgating you, and you aren’t already in the right lane then move over and let them pass.
4. Avoid any sudden movements
This applies to steering, accelerating and braking. If you stomp on the accelerator on slick roads, you’ll just spin your wheels. Likewise, if you stomp on your brakes while on an icy road you’ll either lock your wheels up and slide or ABS will go crazy and you slide a bit less. Crank your wheel suddenly and you’ll upset the balance of your car and depending on how slick the roads are, may throw your vehicle into a spin. Ease onto the throttle, the brakes and steer gently.
5. Pack a Winter Safety Kit
As much as you prepare, and as safe as you try to be on the roads, SHIT HAPPENS. In the event you are in a collision you’ll want to ensure you have a safety/survival kit. If you’ve ever had car trouble in winter, you’ll know how fast your car cools down when its not running. In -20 or colder weather, it’ll take mere minutes for your cars interior temperature to plunge to below 0. The most important thing to have in your vehicle is a jacket. You may be coming out of a heated garage and be in a toasty car, but if you’re ever in a collision where your car is no longer running, you’ll wish you had something to keep you warm. Here are some essential items you should have in your vehicle when driving in the winter:
Gloves
Blanket
Ice scraper
Small shovel
Booster Cables
Warning Light/Flare
Windshield Washer Fluid
Flashlight
Toque/Hat
Water
Candle
Metal Cans/Dishes
Matches/Lighter
Whistle
Of course, if you all you do is drive within the city during the winter you won’t need much more than a blanket, jacket, booster cables and windshield washer fluid but I’d recommend having some sort of survival kit in your vehicle if you ever do any highway driving.
Driving in the winter is no different than driving in the summer. As long as you are paying attention, your vehicle is equipped properly and you are driving carefully it should not be a problem. If you have a fear of driving in the winter, do everyone a favor and take public transit or ask for a ride.
The province of British Columbia has not yet mandated that true winter tread tires be used during the winter months on all highways. However, one can only legally operate in the ice and snow using all season or summer tires if they are not traveling on posted highways or are carrying tire chains that are the appropriate size and type for the vehicle. This does restrict the use of all season tires in most areas of the province.
A posted highway is one that is marked with a sign advising motorists that they must use winter tread tires or carry chains once they have passed the sign.
For the purposes of the sign, a winter tire is one that is advertised or represented by its manufacturer or a person in the business of selling tires to be a tire intended principally for winter use. An all season tire is designed to be a compromise and operate in both summer and winter. It is not designed principally for winter use. Only those tires displaying the mountain and snowflake symbol on the sidewall are winter tires that fit this definition.
Should you choose not to follow the advice on the sign, police may prevent you from traveling further until you are in compliance. They may also choose to issue a traffic ticket that carries a penalty of $121 and 2 points, or about the price of a good winter tire or set of chains.
Reference Links
Summer is over, unfortunately, and with the departure of warm nights and bright sunny days comes dark evenings and the freezing cold. Even though we are in October, it is rarely much better than the weather found over the December and January periods. It is important that your vehicle is up to scratch in the winter months as breaking down could have much more serious consequences than you think; in this article we will be looking at some useful and helpful tips to make sure your car is in tip top condition for whatever mother nature throws at us.
Your antifreeze and engine coolant are vitally important during the winter. Antifreeze will help to protect and shield your engine against those bitterly cold winter mornings and will prevent any freezing up of your engine; it is important that this is checked and topped up regularly. Be sure to top it up with antifreeze and not distilled water as some mechanics may recommend during the summer months.
Make sure that your battery is up to standard. A weak battery is the most common reason a vehicle does not start or has trouble starting on a cold winter morning so check it first to make sure all connections are secure and that there is no obvious corrosion or damage. If you are in an area that is regularly experiences temperatures below -25C you should consider installing a battery warmer to keep your battery from freezing over.
Check both your tire pressure and oil level. An under inflated tire will not have a firm grip with the road surface and could potentially be lethal in icy conditions, so make sure you check frequently for any damage. The oil helps to keep the engine lubricated and removes any dirt that can interfere with the running of your vehicle. Ensure you are running the proper oil weight by consulting your owners manual as running oil that is too thick for your vehicle will result in trouble starting in colder temperatures and may result in damage to your engine.
While these tips make seem commonsensical, it is surprising how many road users do not regularly maintain and check their vehicles, especially in winter; in some cases it can make all the difference.
… over the speed limit. Toronto Police stopped the driver on the Don Valley Parkway after he passed a police cruiser going 231km/h in his Mercedes SL600. Normally I wouldn’t blame this driver for wanting to test out his twin turbo V12 on the highway but the incident happened early this morning. Curiously, I decided to check into the DVP traffic cams and as I suspected, the roads are in similar condition as Calgary roads.
John Kowal, 29, of Aurora, is alleged to have passed a police cruiser on the Don Valley Parkway at about 1:30 a.m. on Friday morning at an excessive rate of speed, according to a news release from the Toronto Police Service.
Now, I’m not sure why but in the CBC article I linked to above, they make some stupid comparisons to F1 and Nascar as if that’ll help people understand just how fast this guy was going. Was that really necessary?
Its winter, the roads are slick and the guy was going 231 km/h. I’m pretty sure most people that read the article would have no problem coming to the conclusion that the guy was an idiot.
The Ontario Goverment strikes again with another new law aimed at drivers. You may remember that Ontario enacted a very controversial street racing law back June of 2007 that allows Police officers to charge drivers with street racing if they exceed the speed limit by more than 50 km/h even if there are no other drivers present. This time, the Ontario Government is proposing a law that will make drivers pay for all damages if they crash in bad weather.
Commissioner Julian Fantino will propose absolute liability legislation today under the Highway Traffic Act to hold irresponsible drivers accountable. This essentially means making drivers pay for accidents in which they were driving aggressively in poor weather, not insurance companies
While I do agree that drivers that are driving far too fast for the conditions should be on the hook, I question how effectively this new proposal would be enforced. Would drivers be given the benefit of doubt or would they be assumed guilty with no appeal like the existing street racing law? Does the responding officer make the call or is it up the insurance companies? Does it matter?
Source: Canadian Press
The City of Calgary is experimenting with a new sanding mixture this winter that may provide some relief for our windshields. The existing road sanding mixture the city uses is a combination of crushed gravel — a maximum of eight millimetres in size — and a small percentage of salt. The new mixture they will be testing this winter will be a finer gravel mixture that should stay on the road better and cause less damage to vehicles.
The reason the city doesn’t simply use salt to melt the ice is because the salt mixture becomes ineffective at temperatures below -5C.
Links: City of Calgary Roads: Snow and Ice Control
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