Driving on Ice

It never fails. Every time there's a bit of snow and ice on the road, people seem to think that if there's pavement visible it's okay to drive like normal. Now I may be called a pansy or I may be called a chicken but I'd prefer to keep my insurance premiums down and my car in one piece. Now I don't say that because I own a sports car or because I'm cheap but because I know that it's a situation I can completely avoid. Unfortunately the thinking of most drivers out there, especially those in SUVs, is that nothing can stop them, not even ice and snow. But as you can see from the accompanying picture to today's blog, this is an utterly ridiculous falacy.

This past evening in Washington DC, we had a bit of an ice storm blow through the region. Now ice storms are fairly common in Washington but they don't yield the same reaction in Washington as snow tends to do. I find that highly surprising since both cases are deadly in their own way but they aren't viewed as such. I guess the perception is that with snow, you can potentially be dealing with several feet whereas with ice, you're only talking a couple of inches. But what a difference those few inches can make. That being said, the psychological impact this fact seems to have on people astounds me. They seem to figure that if there's only a few inches of ice on the ground, if I have an SUV, I'll be able to drive through it with no problem. If that was the case, any fool could strap on a pair of ice skates and become an Olympic caliber skater.

But that isn't all it takes is it? Change one piece of equipment and suddenly we seem to think that we can all make the impossible possible. That's not at all true. It's hard not to feel envious of those that seem to have the power. I remember my Dad telling me one time about how he was struggling to get home during a pretty severe snowstorm. He was taking an offramp from the highway and was inching along. Suddenly an SUV roared past him on a snow covered shoulder. My Dad, driving his little sedan watched with a bit of envy at the SUV rocketing past him. He thought that perhaps the perception of SUV power did have some merit. That changed about a half hour later when he reached the top of the off ramp and found the SUV flipped over lying in a nearby ditch with the driver standing outside rubbing his head in utter shock. Not that he flipped over, but more likely at the fact that he was not driving anymore.

Ice is a different animal than snow and though I don't recommend going out and testing that theory at any given opportunity, it is still something to be remembered. Yesterday a neighbor of mine driving a large 4-wheel drive vehicle entered the parking lot and was attempting to enter his parking space. Unfortunately he kept spinning and spinning and was not going anywhere. Finally a trio of us went out and basically got whatever grip we could on the ground and held the car in place while he slowly accelerated to get the car into his parking spot. All it took was fifteen minutes but it just went to show just how bad it was to get traction in what was nothing more than a quarter inch of ice. A quarter inch of ice versus a thousand plus pound car. Kind of puts things in perspective doesn't it?

It gets frustrating when you're chugging along and someone zooms by in inclement weather with seemingly no problem whatsoever. I'm no expert but these bits of advice have helped keep me on the road in many a snow and ice storms. They should be obvious but they are often overlooked by everyone, myself included at times.

1. Slow down. The slower you go the more reaction time you have to sudden skids or accidents ahead of you.
   
2. Keep your distance. If you're tailgating the car ahead of you, if he suddenly brakes, you're more than likely going to rearend him.
   
3. Small moves. When driving don't make sudden lane changes or abrupt moves, keep them slow and steady and you're less likely to slip on that unseen patch of ice and snow.
   
4. Listen to slower music. This one isn't as obvious but it has some merit. If you listen to music with a fast beat or something similar, you're more prone to pick up the pace. Avoid doing that.
   

Drive safe!