Whatever the condition
-
smooth ice,
packed, blowing or loose snow
-
drive
with caution. If you have traction control,
keep the system on. It will improve your
ability to accelerate when driving on a
slippery road. Even though your vehicle
has a traction control system, you’ll want
to slow down and adjust your driving to
the road conditions. See “Traction
Control System’’ in the Index.
If you don’t have the traction control
system, accelerate gently. Try not to break
the fragile traction. If you accelerate too
fast, the drive wheels will spin and polish
the surface under the tires even more.
Your anti-lock brakes improve your
ability to make a hard stop on a slippery
road. Even though you have the anti-lock
braking system, you’ll want to begin
stopping sooner than you would
on
dry
pavement. See “Anti-Lock” in the Index.
0
0
Allow greater following distance on
any slippery road.
Watch for slippery spots. The road
might be fine until you hit a spot that’s
covered with ice. On an otherwise
clear road, ice patches may appear in
shaded areas where the sun can’t
reach: around clumps of trees, behind
buildings, or under bridges.
Sometimes the surface of a curve or
an overpass may remain icy when the
surrounding roads are clear. If
you
see a patch of ice ahead
of
you, brake
before you are on it. Try not to brake
while you’re actually on the ice, and
avoid sudden steering maneuvers.
If
You’re
Caught
in
a
Blizzard
If you are stopped by heavy snow, you
could be
in
a serious situation.
You
should
probably stay with your vehicle unless
you know for sure that
you
are near help
and you can hike through the snow. Here
are some things to do
to
summon help and
keep yourself and your passengers safe:
Turn on your hazard flashers. Tie a red
cloth to your vehicle to alert police that
you’ve been stopped by the snow. Put
on
extra clothing or wrap a blanket around
you. If
you
have
no
blankets or extra
clothing, make body insulators from
newspapers, burlap bags, rags, floor mats
-
anything you can wrap around yourself
or tuck under your clothing to keep warm.
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