This is my first winter driving and im really nervous, please give some tips to help me out?

Question

this will be my first winter driving. we are expected to get about 6-8 inches of snow . im pretty nervous about driving. how can i calm myself down? i want to avoid an accident as much as possible.

i have an 05 pontiac grand am, just got it in august. i believe its front wheel drive.

I had to go to work today. I decided to ride the bus to work. It was much better. Maybe Monday I will get out there. But it was too much for me to endure today.

Answer 1

Slow down, and pay close attention to stopping distances.. It takes you much much farther to stop when the roads are icy. Don't drive into deep snow unless you are driving the snowplow. Slamming on your brakes on ice can be counterproductive, sometimes it's better to steer where you want to go,

Answer 2

Drive very very slowly, be aware of your surroundings, other drivers, people or animals walking. Give yourself 5 times more space to stop. Slow down 4 or 5 times sooner for turns. try to let the car do its own work with stopping, dont slam on your brakes for any reason, you could slide and loose control faster that way. IF YOU CAN, go to a large empty parking lot or have somebody take you to one and practice there. Get a feeling for how the car will slide and how it acts as to how far you turn the wheel. Main things, keep slow, be aware, and keep your windows clear. ALSO if you having more snow than ice, get a feel for how to get going up hills and down hills if you can. The best thing you can do though is have an experienced driver take you to a large empty parking lot an teach ya. We're expecting around the same or a little more amount of snow here tonight also so I imagine there will be other new drivers around here tryin it out too... just be responsible an take it slow. dont get in a hurry for anything. If you practice somewhere safe where theres nobody or any other cars or buildings around you should be more calm when on the street. No sudden starts stops or turns. thats about the basics.

Answer 3

I grew up in New England, and have driven rear-wheel, front-wheel, and all-wheel drive cars through some pretty crappy winter weather.

Word one - practice. The first time it snows at all or gets icy, go to your nearest large empty parking lot and try different maneuvers far away from light poles or other obstructions. Get up to a slow speed like 15-20 mph, keep the wheels straight, and put on the brakes, easy. See what happens. Try it a little faster. Try slamming the brakes. See what happens when you turn your wheels a little. Check out what kind of traction your tires get when you accelerate.

As you get more and more familiar with what your car does in the snow, try all the kind of maneuvers you can think of that you might run into (in a safe area). Get comfortable with your car in the snow.

For extra points, if you live in New England or somewhere similar or worse, pack a little salt/sand mix in your trunk along with a sturdy small metal shovel, a blanket, and some snow boots.

Answer 4

the most dangerous time about driving on the freeway during winter is when they haven't put out enough salt to melt the ice or the snow is falling too fast and covers up the lane dividers. Don't drive next to anyone on the next lane over, either slow down or speed up if someone gets next to you. Try to stay on the far right lane, behind another car but stay kinda far back, but close enough to keep your tires along the same tire tracks so you get better traction. The most important thing is to avoid skidding. Don't jerk the wheel or overcorrect. Don't slam on the brakes or accelerate really fast. Just do everything a little slower and more carefully than what you normally would. Be patient and don't panic and you'll be fine.

Answer 5

First off... TAKE IT SLOW! No matter what! If you see someone go flyin passed you, take it slow. If everyone else is moving faster than you...take it slow. Even if you ARE comfortable driving in the snow...take it slow. Fact is people get waaaaaay over confident and act stupid...they drive to fast for the conditions or to close! Keep distance between you and the next person, if you see your starting to slide..tap your breaks, don't hit them. If you see you sliding one way, turn your wheel the other way. Either way you need to take it slow, be alert and keep both hands on the wheel...also buckle up! Give yourself plenty of time to go somewhere, snow tires are a plus. But snow tires, 4 wheel drive, that stuff won't keep you from sliding, only you can. Keep a blanket, extra coat, gloves, etc in your car...it's helpful if you find yourself needing it. And don't panic...just go to an empty school lot or somewhere and practice. And know that you might be inexperienced, but even the MOST experienced drivers aren't experienced. They all do stupid things when drivin...like goin to fast, following to closely.

Today some idiot in a pick up (brand new lookin) was WAAAY to close to me 4wheel drive or not...doesn't protect you from accidents! You will still get into an accident! Well luckly he stopped in time before hitting me, but he got mad at me like it was my fault...*smirks* I wasn't the one followin to closely! Lol

Answer 6

First of all, do not slam on the brakes, nor hit the accelerator fast. Slow down. Also, if your car starts to spin on ice, go with it. That will help you straighten the car, and get back on track.

Speaking of track, you can get better traction, driving off the beaten path along the curb where there is still snow.

Try to relax and realize it is a learning experience. Just like when you first learned to drive, or anything else, it takes time and practice.

Best wishes.

Answer 7

I live at Lake Tahoe & we can get massive amounts of snow up here, pretty fast.
I am very happily surprised at the GREAT advise everyone else has given you and you should read it & heed it. It's all good advise.
A few things I would add--
If you do not absolutely have to go out & drive in the bad weather--Don't. Give the road crews a couple of days to clear the roads, then go. Stay indoors & enjoy the snow, or play in it...but don't drive in it unless absolutely necessary. call in sick to work--go shopping before the storm hits....
SNOW & ICE tires are an absolute MUST have. (I DO NOT MEAN thoes M&S rated tires) Get real Snow tires & if your state allows it, get Studded Snow tires. Your tires are your first line of safety !!! If you have regular tires that are "just OK" or "OK", park the car--it's a accident waiting to happen !!!
CHAINS or cables-get the correct size for your car's tires & practice putting them on BEFORE you need to for real.
WINTER KIT should include plastic tarp (for putting chains on in the snow & not getting wet (leads to getting sick)-flashlight & good battries-munchies- drinks--ice scrapper extra hat & gloves (heated ones are real nice) extra goggles and anything else you can think of that you might need.
BTW- a towing strap is useful to get pulled out of a snow bank
Keep cell phone charged-very useful
Remember--if it gets scarey for you--STOP where it is safe & either call for help or more likely someone will stop to help you out.
You are not the first person to be in this situation, nor will you be the last. Slow & steady wins this race (with a good dose of preperation thrown in)

Answer 8

Give yourself extra time to go places (work commute, etc.) Otherwise its to tempting to go fast. Of course put plenty of space between you and the car in front of you.
NEVER USE CRUISE CONTROL IF YOU COULD HIT ICE. Every year this one causes some accidents here in the foothills. If a wheel starts spinning, the cruise control gets thrown off, and the car goes out of control. Don't know why they don't attempt to create more public awareness about this.
Snow tires are a plus, (I'm getting a set.)if you don't have them, make shure your tires are fresh enough. Bald tires of any kind are useless in the snow. I've made it with a front wheel drive and all-season tires where four wheel drives have gotten into troble, and I attribute this largely to the condition of my tires. I've seen many bald all terrain tires on 4 wheel drives.

Answer 9

A few thoughts based on 30+ years of winter driving.

Clean off ALL your windows before you start. Amazing how many people just clear off a few inches of windshield and drive away.

Do everyting gently. Accelerate gently. Brake gently. Turn gently. If your car gets stuck, don't spin your wheels - gently try to drive out.

And remember - if you do get in an accident, you'll probably be going so slowly that you won't get hurt!

Answer 10

If you really have to drive here's some tips.

*Clean off your entire car! Clear all windows and the roof too. If you leave snow on the roof it can fall down into your windshield and cause vision problems.
* Leave yourself plenty of time to get where your going...It's better to arrive too early rather than chancing running late and have to drive faster.
* Reduce you speed.Increase the distance between you and the car in front of you. Cars take much longer to stop in snowy ,icy weather.
*Do not allow other drivers to intmidate into driving faster than you feel comfortable.
*Keep you car in tip top shape ! Make sure you have good tires !
Basilcly , take your time, be extra careful and you should arrive alive !