After last week’s big snow I was reminded of how lots of people seem act like they have no idea how to drive in the snow and ice. Just what makes driving around here so dangerous?

I think the bad winter driving boils down to about 20% of our population that make a snowy drive a little more life-threatening than it needs to be for all of us.

You get about 10% of the Colorado/Wyoming transplants (College Students, new employees, etc.) Many of which have never seen snow before, let alone driven in it. (These folks are easy to spot as they are idling down I-25, slamming on their brakes every time another vehicle comes within a quarter mile of their car, and spinning the tires of their rear-wheel drive cars at stoplights.)

Then you have another 10% of drivers who grew up driving in snow and think they’re unstoppable. They usually have large trucks and SUVs, and drive with the attitude that nothing is going to slow them and their big beefy utility vehicles down. (These guys/gals are easy to spot as they crisscross through traffic on snowy roads with no regard for speed limits.) Most other cars on the road are just ‘in their way’. You can also see of lot of them spun out in ditches along highways, go figure.

Now, you combine the over-cautious slow-pokes, with the over-zealous snowy speed-demons, and put them with other 80% of the road travelling population and you have a recipe for disaster.

I figured maybe we could ALL use a little refresher course on snowy/icy driving. Here are tips from AAA.com:

Tips for driving in the snow from AAA.com:

• Accelerate and decelerate slowly. Applying the gas slowly to accelerate is the best method for regaining traction and avoiding skids. Don't try to get moving in a hurry. And take time to slow down for a stoplight. Remember: It takes longer to slow down on icy roads.

• Drive slowly. Everything takes longer on snow-covered roads. Accelerating, stopping, turning - nothing happens as quickly as on dry pavement. Give yourself time to maneuver by driving slowly.

• The normal dry pavement following distance of three to four seconds should be increased to eight to ten seconds. This increased margin of safety will provide the longer distance needed if you have to stop.

• Know your brakes. Whether you have antilock brakes or not, the best way to stop is threshold breaking. Keep the heel of your foot on the floor and use the ball of your foot to apply firm, steady pressure on the brake pedal.

• Don't stop if you can avoid it. There's a big difference in the amount of inertia it takes to start moving from a full stop versus how much it takes to get moving while still rolling. If you can slow down enough to keep rolling until a traffic light changes, do it.

• Don't power up hills. Applying extra gas on snow-covered roads just starts your wheels spinning. Try to get a little inertia going before you reach the hill and let that inertia carry you to the top. As you reach the crest of the hill, reduce your speed and proceed down hill as slowly as possible.

• Don't stop going up a hill. There's nothing worse than trying to get moving up a hill on an icy road. Get some inertia going on a flat roadway before you take on the hill.

• Stay home. If you really don't have to go out, don't. Even if you can drive well in the snow, not everyone else can. Don't tempt fate: If you don't have somewhere you have to be, watch the snow from indoors.

Now, let’s be safe, let’s be smart, and let’s be careful out there once the snow starts flying.

Snowy Car Wreck
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