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Consider winter driving safety

  • Published
  • By Mike Baron
  • 43rd Airlift Wing Safety Office
POPE AIR FORCE BASE, N.C. --  You may be thinking to yourself, I've been here a couple years, and I haven't seen a snowflake, so why should I be worried about winter driving? I can think of at least three reasons:
- We are due for a big snow/ice storm
- Many drivers around here do not know how to drive in snow
- Most vehicles are not equipped with snow tires

Now you are probably wondering how you can prepare yourself for winter driving. There is a wealth of information sitting in the glove box of your car; it's called your owner's manual. You need to blow off the dust and read it. Each vehicle model has different maintenance requirements to keep it road worthy, and it will give instructions on how to drive your particular vehicle in winter conditions. If you thirst for more winter safety knowledge, go to the 43rd Airlift Wing Safety Web site at https://private.pope.amc.af.mil/main/43AW/se/Index/index.htm.

Have you added risk management to your travel plans? As your travel date approaches, start looking at the weather forecast and make adjustments if needed. I was TDY to Scott AFB, Ill., at the end of November and planned to fly out of St. Louis Friday, Dec. 1. The meteorologists on TV and radio were predicting a severe ice storm would hit Thursday afternoon. Planning to fly out on Friday morning, I booked a hotel near the airport for Thursday night. I arrived at the hotel just before the storm hit and did not have to drive 30 miles over ice covered roads to catch my flight the next morning.

Sometimes even your best plans do not pan out and you have to drive in the snow. If you must drive in the snow, follow these simple basic rules:
- Slow down and allow more time to travel.
- Do not tailgate, triple the normal distance between your car and the one in front of you.
- Avoid driving over snow berms between plowed lanes. If you must switch lanes, slow down, signal and cautiously move over.
- If your rear-end starts skidding, turn your steering wheel in the same direction. This goes against your normal instinct, so you must think about it in advance. For example, if your rear-end skids to the left, you must turn the steering wheel to the left to regain traction and keep from losing control.
- Drive with your lights on, look well ahead and anticipate problems.
- Avoid locking your brakes up if you do not have anti-lock brakes. If your brakes lock up, take your foot off the brake pedal for a moment and then gently reapply pressure. If your car has an Anti-lock Braking System and you must brake, be sure to press the brake pedal and hold it down continuously (you will feel the ABS pulsing).

Winter driving can be treacherous, but by using solid risk management to plan your trip, you can accomplish it as safely as possible. No one wants be stuck on the side of the road or get injured in a costly vehicle mishap, so please drive carefully and we will see you back after the holidays.