What to do if you lose vehicle control -- and how not to...

[David Mikulec]

This can't be repeated often enough:

I can't emphasize too much that the best principle here is to avoid the problem in the first place - don't drive too fast for conditions, and ease up on the gas any time you are approaching a curve or a downhill stretch of road or, especially, the two of those together.

Speed is your worst enemy. So is overconfidence. Experience and knowing your vehicle will allow you to best judge what the safest speed is, given the road's current conditions and surrounding traffic. In my thirty-three years of driving (growing up in the snow belt) the few times I have gone into a skid were due to going too fast.

And when dealing with an icy roadway, all bets are off. And that's when I stay home.

 

[Mike Hollingshead]

While heading south for the ice storm last spring, a day after it ended, full sunshine, I found out how surprising ice on pavement can be. Problem was it was bone dry roadway the whole way and the sun was out. So for hours I was just doing 75 in a 70 like normal. Other than a tiny dusting of snow out in the grass, I couldn't tell I was into where the freezing rain had extended on the north edge of the storm. Also was just figuring that road had been treated, and it looked like it was dry. I knew I'd at some point need to slow down for bad roads, but didn't do so in time.

Out of nowhere, fishtailing. I can't explain the pure shock feeling this gave. I'm normally pretty dang cautious on icy/snowy roads. I sure as hell wasn't doing 75 thinking it was slick. Thought it was a continuation of what I'd been on, in the 100% blue skies, for the last few hours. Anyway, that very first thought was just extremely shocked to start having the back end come around. The very next thought was simply, there is no fixing this. Hardly any distance into the fishtail had taken place before that realization crossed through my mind. I don't care to ever feel those initial feelings again.

I still steered with things as long as I could. Back fishtail went to the left, pointing me right. Entered the grass at 75mph with the back trying to come around left. It's wild sliding on pavement at that angle, that fast, and there is pretty much zero slowing down...like you're an air hockey puck...at least till the grass. Pressure on those back wheels, as I kept the front pointed forward, ends up pushing the back around and to the right, but with more whipping force...and still flying along. Kept steering with it, scared ****less I was about to roll in fashion and the next whip around was even harder, this time just spinning the car all the way back left until I was facing 180 degrees from where I started. I clearly remember this part and I was still hauling ass straight backwards. It pivoted some one way, friction built up and pushed it back harder again, this time it is the front going back and forth. That initial whip back was again followed by an even harder one, which just swung it all the way around again, into taller grass where I stopped.

This was in an SUV Blazer, which I was driving in 2 wheel drive when it went off. I know that is why it fishtailed. Those rear 2 wheels couldn't keep it going 75 without losing traction once I entered the invisible slick as it gets, crap. I'd have wrecked later anyway on that sort of too-slick-to-walk-on clear ice. But maybe I'd have picked up a couple clues first that it was nasty now. A lady doing 70 in a van I'd just passed seconds before evidently had no clue what it was like there either. Neither did the cars all over right passed here, including some rolls.

The rear tires were bending back far enough there was a lot of grass jammed in between the rims and the tires. Had I simply given up and not steered with things, the front tires would have been more side on like the back ones and that extra bit of friction likely would have made it roll. That first entry into the grass when the back was left, I was pushing back away from the passenger window, leaning, because it was leaning so hard it just seemed like it was ready to go.

It is crazy how much one thing like that messes with how you drive in any sub freezing air afterward. I'm just about a "wreck" now when it is near freezing and there is any sign of being wet, like simply fog. Or even those asphalt fixes, done in flat wider swaths that look wet under street lights at night. Kind of funny the time I did not think I was driving too fast for the conditions(this wasn't during any storm, wasn't snowing, hours of driving on dry pavement...and this still looked the same, under clear blue skies)....that it will for sure cure me of ever driving too fast when I know it is snowy or icy.

IMO, if there is snow on the road, there's good reason to do 50mph or less. That feels like a rather safe zone. I'm amazed at how some 4x4s drive around here. I live in town, but right by a 35mph 4 lane highway. When there is fresh snow, you can look out and count on 4x4s doing 45. It is strange. I swear if it was dry pavement and any other day, they'd do 35 down this street...seriously! They seriously are driving faster when they have snow. I kept noticing this one day, wondering why about everyone seemed to be going faster than ever out there...at least the suv's and pickups.

I about wrecked the other day, due to a "new" problem. Nasty pot holes coming down from the bridge, with a coating of slick as crap snow/ice. I was slowed down to 45, but the shaking started to shift the car around and soon the back end was coming around. This morning it looked like someone went into the rail there, judging by the amount of snow all over the roadway right past that there. Ready for this crap to melt!

 

[Justin Turcotte]

Roads in my area are generally snow and ice covered from December through mid February. Temperatures are too cold for salt and the sun angle is too low to do any work. Slipping and sliding is routine operating procedure. You simply get used to it. When I'm approaching a red light or stop sign I will use as little break as possible. While I have an auto transmission I can still down shift to a lower gear and I will drop into 3rd and 2nd as needed. This reduces breaking but you need to time it right or the downshift can create a skid. If you don't have anti-lock breaks then lightly feather pump as you come to a stop. Be gentile with steering adjustments (generally turning the wheel the direction you want the front to turn) and if push comes to shove point the car toward an obstacle of minimal resistance like a snow bank. There are times when I will hammer the accelerator during a skid. This may seem counterintuitive for some hence I wouldn't recommend it without some practice. Refer to the the "Lightning McQueen" dirt track scene in the movie "Cars" to see this in action. If your tires are getting bald then best to get them replaced before driving on slick stuff. If only replacing two tires then put the new on the rear.

 

[Brian Stertz]

RFD crosswinds are bad news...just be mindful of the road griiping ability and use extreme caution in those tornadic RFD's. Example >>> Almena KS June 1999. Went from being right on a slow moving stovepipe to being rather lunar module like in minutes. Kansas slick snot roads won that day.