Winter Driving Tips – Drive Slowly in Deep Snow

November 23, 2009 | Posted by Clair Schwan

Here are some winter driving tips for when we’re faced with driving in deep snow. We might be tempted to go fast and blast on through it. Especially if we have 4-wheel drive. After all, it’s just snow and our vehicle should be able to show it who’s boss.

Well, if that’s your approach, you might be in for a surprise because not all snow is the same. Once you get snow up to your bumper and deeper, consider what can happen:

• Dry snow is projected up over your grill and onto the windshield, reducing visibility to near zero even with wipers going at top speed.
• The undercarriage of your vehicle drags through the snow providing more resistance than just your bumper, causing you to lose traction.
• You ride up onto the snow and then sink down into it like a trap. You’re now essentially “high centered” if you’re on hard snow, engulfed in a huge pile if it’s dry snow, or the wet snow has a “death grip” on your exhaust system and undercarriage much like concrete.

The best approach is to drive slowly through deep snow so you maintain good visibility and can stop if you sense that you’re going to be unsuccessful with continued forward travel. If you get too deep into it, you might have quite a time backing out, even with 4-wheel drive.

One of Clint Eastwood’s characters reminded all who would listen, “A man’s got to know his limitations.” Well, that applies to drivers as well as vehicles. If you push your limits (or continue to test them with your vehicle), don’t be surprised if one day you find yourself inconvenienced as a result of your own doing.

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Clair Schwan is an experienced winter weather driver who knows that 4-wheel drive vehicles can get you into as much trouble as they were designed to get you out of. He suggests taking it easy and proceeding through deep snow only when you’re certain you can make it without getting stuck. His winter driving tips are based on his own experience and experiments. See more of his car driving tips over at Frugal Living Freedom where the motto is, “…living well, and well within your means…”

Categories: driving | Tags: deep snow, driving, self reliance, winter driving, winter driving tips | No Comments »