Name: Jamie Broman
From: Culver, MN
Votes: 0
Driving
Down A Slippery Slope
Growing
up in Minnesota has never been a walk in the park. It is winter about
eight months out of the year, so when learning how to drive, snow is
unavoidable. While I had my learners permit, I would drive my mom’s
2015 Ford Taurus with four-wheel drive, so going in the ditch was
never a problem. The Taurus is a heavy car, which means it isn’t
pulled into ruts easily, and it’ll sink to the pavement on the road.
Luckily, that winter wasn’t much slick snow, so I didn’t have to
worry about my back end kicking out on a corner. Once I got my
driver’s license, I got my car. A 1999 Toyota RAV4 AWD. Nothing like
my mom’s car. The RAV4 is way lighter and has no ABS, so stopping
makes my back end kick out. It was a vast learning experience when I
started driving on my own. The winter of 2018-2019 came with record
snowfalls and recorded low temperatures. When it snowed, it would be
warm and create a slushie base, and when the sun went down, the slush
would freeze, causing ruts and dangerously slippery roads. And if
anyone has ever been to Duluth, MN, they know it is one big hill.
Bridges and overpasses became very slippery because they aren’t on
the ground. They don’t get any heat from the earth’s surface.
Just
because the snow comes, doesn’t mean all the other dangers of driving
stops. There are still deer crossing the roads at the most
inconvenient time. There are still crazy drivers on the road. While
driving in the winter, not only do you have to pay attention to the
crazy people, and the suicidal deer, but also pay attention to how
your car is reacting to the weather conditions. To prevent accidents,
take these following measures.
-
Get
good tires with treads that are at least 6mm deep. Good tires can
grip better in the snow, so you aren’t sliding into ruts or all over
the road. -
Get
used to your car. Make sure you are comfortable in the car. If you
aren’t used to the vehicle, or you don’t know how your vehicle is
going to react to the weather, it will cause an accident. -
Prepare
for anything. I always have a set of jumper cables in my car, a
spare tire, extra oil, hats, gloves, snow pants, boots, a
flashlight, etc. You never know what is going to happen once you get
on the roads. And if you prepare for anything, you can get out of
pretty much anything. -
You
can have all these items in your car, but you need to know how to
use these things. Know how to hook up jumper cables, know how to
change a tire; know how to get out of the ditch if possible. -
Reduce
speed as necessary. Going slower will reduce your risk of having an
accident
Knowing
all of this won’t necessarily make you an expert winter driver. The
more you do it, the better you get at it. Practice makes perfect. If
you were to work towards being a great winter driver, and you know
all of this, then you will be at the top of your driving game.
