We all know that we should be driving differently in adverse weather, but how many of us actually know what changes to be made, and more importantly how to react in times of reduced grip while on the move?
While it is mostly true to an extent, speed is not always the main contributary factor in road incidents, as if this was the case, the number of incidents would decrease with worsening conditions as people rightly slow down. So what are the other factors that cause issues in adverse weather?
Well they will come under a few broad categories such as:
- not knowing how your vehicle behaves in wet and slippery weather
- not understanding the basic physics of adhesion to the road
- increased use of the brakes that actually cause the problem
- not being truly aware of your surroundings
- following blanket behaviour without assessing the conditions yourself in your immediate area
- not giving yourself enough space from the vehicle in front of you
- Most importantly, driving in conditions you do not feel comfortable or safe in
Know Your Vehicle: In All Conditions
Your vehicle is not just something that gets you from A to B. It is a machine that you operate on a public road with other machine operators, and as such you must know how to operate it in a safe and controlled manner, know what it is capable and not capable of doing and of course know how it will behave in any given situation, or on any given road surface.
Many of the problems that have been highlighted on the news during the adverse weather in Ireland lately have been down to driver error and lack of understanding a skill in knowing and operating their vehicles
If you think you know your vehicle, then ask yourself these questions:
1. what is the general state of your four tyres with regard to pressure and thread depth?
2. what is your current fuel level before you leave for your next journey
3. what is the state of your spare tyre in case of punctures
4. do all of your lights work
5. is your car safe to drive in rain, sleet, snow or fog
If you cannot answer all these questions, then find out as any one of these can get you into trouble out there on the road.
Another part of knowing your vehicle, is knowing how to control it in differing conditions.
How does your car handle in a bend for example? Does it lean a bit if it is a taller vehicle? Are your tyres wearing and will it lose grip earlier if wet, slippery? If you drive a BMW for example, do you understand that sliding in a rear wheel drive car will be different than in a front wheel drive car?
These are all important questions, as the information here will let you make the best decisions possible in bad conditions on the road and being aware of these facts can prevent many of the incidents that, lets face, uneducated and poorly trained Irish drivers make on a daily basis. The following headings give more information on specific areas of good and safe car control for bad weather driving like we have had in the last 2 weeks especially.
Basics of Adhesion: How to Drive
It will come as no surprise that the only thing that connects you to the road is the rubber on your vehicles wheels. Therefore it stands to reason that this rubber is the most important item with regard to keeping your car on the road. Yet you will be amazed at how many people do not know what the correct tyre pressure is for their vehicle, let alone put air into their tyres safely. Worn tyres are an accident waiting to happen, especially when the conditions are poor.
Take for example the snow and ice of the last couple of weeks. When you drive on snow or ice, you are doing exactly that! Your wheels are no longer in contact with the road!
In this situation it is all about friction and if your tyres are as smooth as the ice underneath them, well it is no shock that their is little to no grip and your vehicle is in an uncontrollable state. You might not know it as you are travelling at too slow a speed, but once you turn, brake, change gear, it will quickly become apparent who is not in control of the vehicle.
Well kept tyres, with some pressure let out of them to soften them and increase grip is the solution here. Just don't forget to increase the pressure again when on clean roads as they will wear nad give poor handling.
Also, when in bad conditions, your actions can cause problems. All steering input should be small, gentle and consistent in order to maintain adhesion as best you can. Short, sharp actions will only unsettle the balance of the car and shift its weight, therefore minimising control.
Brakes Can Be Your Enemy
In certain circumstances, your brakes are your enemy. This was evident on the numerous news videos of drivers on icy roads in Ireland last week. When you see a video of a car sliding with wheels locked (we are talking slow speeds here, not emergency high speed braking), you can be assured that the driver is panicked and frozen stiff in the car, hanging on for some divine intervention to save the day. All too often it never comes and they end up sliding backwards, hitting another vehicle or ending up in the ditch.
The thing to remember here is, and this is important, is that when your wheels are locked, you have absolutely no control over steering the vehicle! The wheels are not rolling, therefore there is no chance of grip and the car will just travel in the direction of the slope or gradient. So here is what you do.
When negotiating a slippery hill (going down), engage first or second gear, depending on the slope and let the clutch out completely. You will get engine breaking that will keep the car from accelerating, while still letting the wheels spin.
You can then steer with both hands, and while not having complete control, you have much more than you ever would have with the wheels locked. Again, slow and purposeful inputs would be needed to "guide" your vehicle in the required direction.
Any breaking that is needed would just be a quick dab, but keep in mind that it would shift the weight of the car forward and might unsettle your direction of travel.
It becomes obvious then, that in order to focus on your steering with the engine braked by a low gear, you will need plenty of distance between you and vehicle in front of you, so you can make controlled adjustments to avoid them if they do it wrong and slide off etc.
The distance gives you the confidence to focus on your car, and make good decisions based on what is coming up in front of you.
Choose Your Best Gear
As mentioned above, driving in slippery conditions is all about the correct gear. Being in the correct gear is something that should always be done, but differing drivers have their own style I guess, whether it is right or wrong.
But in the slippery stuff, it is super important to keep in the correct range. For example, if you are travelling at 30kph, you should stay in 3rd or 4th gear. Then if you need to accelerate you do not have the power available that would spin the front wheels. Spinning wheels are like stationary wheels when braking, useless!
But on the other hand, going down hills as we discussed, keep it in lower gears and let the engine take car of the braking for you.
The main thing to understand is that to avail of the best grip, your wheels and therefore your eninge should be rotating to match your current speed, simple!
General Awareness
Well what can I say about awareness, it is the most important thing while driving. For all you commuters that:
a. read a book/newspaper
b. apply makup
c. talk on your mobile
or do anything else that takes your fancy while driving your vehicle, GET OFF THE ROAD, you are an accident waiting to happen, and you have the potential to ruin someone elses life, not just your own!
You need to be completely aware of your surroundings, you need to be able to tell what is happening 300-400 metres ahead of you at all times. Driving is not just a spin, it is not a right you have, it is a huge responsibility you undertake when joining a public road network. You trust other drivers to be aware of you on the road and in turn you should be aware of them, it is a simple truth. BE AWARE AT ALL TIMES!
Use Your Own Brain: Your Own Safety Conclusions
We are not sheep, are we? Yes we read the news, we see photos and videos of cars sliding, skidding, snowed under and all that, but that does not give us the right to be lazy and just swallow the presumption that our journey is going to be the exact same. When you get into your vehicle, it is up to you to assess your local conditions and drive appropriately, regardless of what was on the radio or television.
Unless RTE jsut left your yard after a morning update, you are the best judge of the conditions.
When you are aware of the conditions, drive accordingly. If there is no snow on the road and it is 3 or 4 degrees above freezing, ignore the snow on the hills and drive as you would on a wet and windy Thursday in February. If there is ice lingering in shaded areas then take care, but if not, make good progress.
People jsut do not get the idea that the majority of accidents on Irish roads are due to bad behaviour. Dont drive at 30kph on an 80kph stretch and then flash your lights at the car that passes you on the straight looking frustrated, that was your fault!
Do not just drive at 30kph when the sbow is gone jsut because the news said that the other side of the country is still snowed under, you will only annoy your fellow drivers, who are assessing the conditions appropriately and all you are forcing them to do is make ill-advised manouveres to pass you at your inappropriate speed
