5 Tips To Dodge A Blizzard While Driving
Driving in the winters is a nightmare. First, you have to deal with the fog. Then try to get your car out on the road with limited visibility as it may or may not skid into the oblivion. Finally, hope that you don’t get snowed in for the brief moment that you absolutely have to park the car to get some groceries.
A blizzard is all of these troubles multiplied by a thousand. You better be prepared otherwise you might get into some serious trouble coming back home that day. There are 5 tips mentioned below that can help you deal with the blizzard in a more efficient manner.
5 Tips To Dodge A Blizzard While Driving
Take care of the main points mentioned below to brave any sort of blizzard without getting a scratch on your car.
1. Good Snow Tires
The snow tires help you get better control of your vehicle. Otherwise, your car will just keep on shuffling from side to side on those summertime tires. There is a reason that they have been created for the winter season. In winters, the slippery snowy road will make even the smoothest of the drivers lose their balance.
You need all the extra help you can get to maintain a good grip on the road at all times. You can do so by investing in high-strength and ultra-durable snow tires on time. Make sure before the snow season begins that they are in good enough shape to last the entire winters.
Otherwise, you might find yourself trapped between two giant trucks in a cramped up parking space. And your tires will just refuse to co-operate in that specific moment. You won’t want to scratch the vehicles on either side and you will try your best not to. But that is exactly what you will end up doing as your car skids away for the next several minutes or so.
2. Drive Smooth And On Full Tank
Being prepared always pays off. So make sure every evening that you have readied your car for the next day. This includes checking the tire pressure, keeping a full tank, checking the coolant level and topping up the windshield washer fluid. This way you will never find yourself stuck on the side of the road cursing your past self for not being prepared enough.
The blizzard is a test of your patience above everything. You can easily get stressed out, lose your cool and find yourself trapped in the never ending better with this snowy hurricane. But, your calm and cool can lead you out of this mess if you just hold out long enough.
Be calm with the steering, gas, and brakes. Make it a habit to skip that second cup of coffee if that tends to make you angry. Get into a routine that prepares you for these unfortunate blizzards that choose to pay a surprise visit every now and then during the winters.
3. Work With the Slide
Your car goes into the sliding mode when it is not in control anymore. The control has been taken over by the wet road, black ice or a stubborn blizzard. The point is, you need to find a way fast out of this slide. And you do it by steering into it. It does work! This action is known as oversteer.
Read: 10 Safety Tips For Driving In Winters
This is when you steer your car to turn right but it turns left. So you steer it into the left direction very gently. You ease off on the gas and brakes behind the wheels. The car is no longer in your control so you might as well not give it more ammunition to rebel.
You eventually try to gain back the control. You steer the car into the direction that is already steering into. And then try to check how well it responds to the steering directions. Chances are you will be driving it smoothly in no time if you be patient for a bit as it is sliding and steering in the opposite direction.
4. Lower the Speaker Volume
Who drives with no music, you might ask. Someone who wants to get home today without skidding into the oblivion. In winter, it is wise to turn off the music if the weather is especially bad. You definitely want to drive without any music if a blizzard is approaching. You don’t need any sort of distraction to dilute your focus and sense of direction at that time.
The snow gives a good grip and the ice just lets you slip till the end of the road. You will hear a particular crunch as the tires make way on snow. This means that you will be getting a good grip for as far as that snow coverage lasts.
Be extra careful when your tires go dead silent. This means that you are on the literal thin ice. And your car might skid and get into a disoriented state if not driven with caution. This is where you use your cool to skid your way back into control!
5. Utilize The ABS
When all else fails, at least there is ABS! It stands for Automatic Braking System. This is meant to protect you from the bad weather and sometimes even your bad driving. It works in various degrees. It might slow down your vehicle if it senses an impending accident.
Read: 8 Latest Car Safety Features: How Safe Is Your Car?
This brake gets charged to protect you from those out-of-the-blue collisions. It might help your car from not skidding too far on that icy road. You will be able to keep your car in your control if you have an update working ABS system installed in your vehicle.
The blizzards might get serious real quick. You need some extra help when it is pushing your car into some jaded tracks. That is when the ABS might activate and offer sufficient resistance to keep the car in place, more or less.
Conclusion
The blizzards make driving in winters all that difficult like it was that easy in the first place. Since you cannot prevent it, the next best thing is to manage it. With the right fittings in your car and a calm driving style, you can find your way through any sort of winter calamities.
Has your car ever been caught in a blizzard? Did you suffer any major damage? Tell us in the comments below. Save your friends and family some trouble too by sharing this article with them right now on your socials.
