Stay safe this winter: Must-know tips for driving in snow

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It’s December and parts of the U.S. are getting slammed by winter storms. I’m looking at you, upstate New York, where they received five feet and counting! Other parts of the U.S. are getting snow too, including here in California, which brings me to today’s travel tip.

Before I left for our epic trip to Fiji and Australia, I read an article from our local NBC News channel which had some great tips for Angelenos about driving up to the mountains as snow season kicks off. They cited the Automobile Club of Southern California, which had the following tips for driving in the rain or snow no matter where you live. Below are their helpful tips for driving in the snow:

• Turn on your headlights to increase visibility.
• Slow down and ensure there’s enough space in front of you to give yourself time to brake. Leave at least three times more distance than normal between yourself and the car in front of you.
• Brake softly to avoid hydroplaning.
• Don’t use cruise control on wet, icy or snowy roads.
• Watch out for icy roadways, especially with bridges and other elevated areas, which freeze before roads.
• Be careful on streets that aren’t frequently transited, since they may not be cleaned as frequently as other roads.

I grew up in Connecticut and my wife was born and raised in Canada so we both know how to drive in the snow but the funny thing is that when it rains here in L.A., I do everything I can to avoid the freeways. That’s because many Southern California drivers don’t understand how slick the rain can make the roads, especially when it hasn’t rained in a while and the roads have oil on them, making them even slicker.

For some reason, SoCal residents don’t want to slow down and there tends to be a lot of accidents. It’s always the lead story on the news when it rains. Since it hardly rains here in the L.A. area, it’s always a huge news day and the networks usually lead with something like ‘STORM WATCH’, which would give most East Coasters a chuckle since rain is just not newsworthy in those parts of the country.

The national AAA site also has some good tips for driving in the snow on their website. Here’s what they advise when it comes to driving in the snow:

Stay home. Only go out if necessary. Even if you can drive well in bad weather, it’s better to avoid taking unnecessary risks by venturing out.
Drive slowly. Always adjust your speed down to account for lower traction when driving on snow or ice.
Accelerate and decelerate slowly. Apply the gas slowly to regain traction and avoid skids. Don’t try to get moving in a hurry and take time to slow down for a stoplight. Remember: It takes longer to slow down on icy roads.
Increase your following distance to five to six seconds. This increased margin of safety will provide the longer distance needed if you have to stop.
Know your brakes. Whether you have antilock brakes or not, keep the heel of your foot on the floor and use the ball of your foot to apply firm, steady pressure on the brake pedal.
Don’t stop if you can avoid it. There’s a big difference in the amount of inertia it takes to start moving from a full stop versus how much it takes to get moving while still rolling. If you can slow down enough to keep rolling until a traffic light changes, do it.
Don’t power up hills. Applying extra gas on snow-covered roads will just make your wheels spin. Try to get a little inertia going before you reach the hill and let that inertia carry you to the top. As you reach the crest of the hill, reduce your speed and proceed downhill slowly.
Don’t stop going up a hill. There’s nothing worse than trying to get moving up a hill on an icy road. Get some inertia going on a flat roadway before you take on the hill.

Hopefully these tips provide a good reminder for all drivers this winter season when it comes to driving in the snow, with the most important being to take it slow.

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