Driving in Mud, Sand, Snow
or
Ice
When you drive in mud, snow or sand, your wheels
won’t get good traction. You can’t accelerate as
quickly, turning is more difficult, and you’ll need
bnger
braking
distances.
It’s best to use a low gear when you’re in mud
--
the
deeper the mud, the lower the gear.
In
really deep mud,
the idea
is
to keep your vehicle moving
so
you don’t
get stuck.
When you drive on sand, you’ll sense a change
in
wheel
traction. But it will depend upon how loosely packed the
sand
is.-
On loosely packed sand (as on beaches or sand
dunes) your tires will tend to sink into the sand. This has
an effect
on
steering,
accelerating
and
braking.
You
may
want to reduce the
air
pressure in your tires slightly
when driving on sand. This will improve traction.
Hard packed snow and ice offer the worst tire traction.
On
these surfaces,
it’s
very
easy
to
lose
control. On wet
ice, for example, the traction is
so
poor that
you
will
have difficulty accelerating. And if you do get moving,
poor steering and difficult braking can cause you to slide
out
of
control.
c
A
CAUTION:
-
Driving
on
frozen lakes, ponds
or
rivers can be
dangerous. Underwater springs, currents under
the ice,
or
sudden thaws can weaken the ice. Your
vehicle could fall through the ice and you and
your passengers could drown. Drive
your
vehicle
on safe surfaces only.
4-27
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