driving tips for this bad weather?

[Smilie]

Hi guys

any tips for driving on these icy roads??
last year i nearly had a accident in these conditions
slowing down towards a junction (downhill) and car kept sliding
luckly no cars were out

today my dads car (toyoto verso auto)
was skidding very badly he didnt drive in the end

any tips here people will give??

i know drive slowly
use higher gear
use engine braking
but anything else??

[Peter_]

Do not travel unless unavoidable.

[AbyssUnderground]

Use engine braking.
Use smooth controls movement.
Don't accelerate hard.
Don't brake hard.
Keep 4x the distance from the car in front that you normally would.
Don't go the speed limit, go slower.

If you get into a skid that will cause an accident, take your feet off all the pedals and steer to avoid. That's the advice being given at the moment.

At the end of the day, unless you have to, don't drive at all.

[Delta Whiskey]

If you start skidding use cadence braking to retain directional control of the car.

"Cadence braking or stutter braking is an advanced driving technique used to allow a car to both steer and brake on a slippery surface." https://secure.wikimedia.org/wikiped...adence_braking

[martyh]

Originally Posted by Delta Whiskey

If you start skidding use cadence braking to retain directional control of the car.

"Cadence braking or stutter braking is an advanced driving technique used to allow a car to both steer and brake on a slippery surface." https://secure.wikimedia.org/wikiped...adence_braking

I would advise using engine braking more than cadence braking .In the conditions we have at the moment engine braking will be much more effective

[Gary L]

If you're a cyclist keep off the road. you're a danger to yourselves and other road users.

honestly. some people.

[martyh]

Originally Posted by Gary L

If you're a cyclist keep off the road. you're a danger to yourselves and other road users.

honestly. some people.

I know i watched some idiot tring to cycle past my house yesterday ,there is still a good 8" on the road all lose snow ,he fell off 3 times before deciding that riding a bike wasn't an option

[Gary L]

The one I saw, I was about 3 cars behind him. he was riding in the middle of the road and just went at the roundabout. it only needs somebody to panic (doesn't have to be a woman) and either he gets knocked off and driven over. or she slides into me.

[LondonRoad]

As much I enjoy commuting by cycle, I've not even considered it as an option to get into work this week. It would be safer to cycle down the motorway and there are reasons why that isn't allowed.

[Taf]

If the vehicle in front has snow/ice on the roof... stay well clear!!

[martyh]

Originally Posted by Taf

If the vehicle in front has snow/ice on the roof... stay well clear!!

very true i saw any number of cars with 8-12" of snow on their roof ,what they forget is as the car warms up inside the snow making contact with the roof melts and then the lot will slide off when braking covering the windscreen and possibly breaking the wipers... idiots the lot of them

[Taf]

...and it's illegal.

Plus driving along with just one small hole scraped out of the ice/frost on the windows is not a great idea either.

When you first get in the car open a window just a crack to reduce the fogging of interior windows.

[papa smurf]

my top tip for driving in bad weather -don't-

[ZrByte]

Originally Posted by Taf

...and it's illegal.

Plus driving along with just one small hole scraped out of the ice/frost on the windows is not a great idea either.

When you first get in the car open a window just a crack to reduce the fogging of interior windows.

Any good advice for clearing the car? I normally just rely on the heater for the windows but couldn't even do that this morning because my coolant had frozen = engine overheating and no internal heater (Any tips for thawing that out? other than antifreeze? If I had some it would have already been in there).
Then usually while the windows are thawing I make sure my lights are clear and any large amounts of snow or Ice are pulled off by hand.
I've seen a lot of people use a blanket over the windscreen to keep it clear but In my opinion that's only really an option if you have a driveway because I've seen what some people do to cars left parked on the street overnight like that (So many broken wipers ).

As to the OP I have to agree that engine braking can not be overrated though it wont stop you completely and maintain a much slower speed than usual and you should be fine.

[martyh]

Originally Posted by ZrByte

Any good advice for clearing the car? I normally just rely on the heater for the windows but couldn't even do that this morning because my coolant had frozen = engine overheating and no internal heater (Any tips for thawing that out? other than antifreeze? If I had some it would have already been in there).
Then usually while the windows are thawing I make sure my lights are clear and any large amounts of snow or Ice are pulled off by hand.
I've seen a lot of people use a blanket over the windscreen to keep it clear but In my opinion that's only really an option if you have a driveway because I've seen what some people do to cars left parked on the street overnight like that (So many broken wipers ).

As to the OP I have to agree that engine braking can not be overrated though it wont stop you completely and maintain a much slower speed than usual and you should be fine.

If your coolant froze then you may have a bigger problem ,cracked engine block or burst out plugs in the block either way i wouldn't drive untill you are sure that the block isn't cracked or any plugs burst out ,one way to check is to run the engine for a short period ,initially untill the temp guage begines to rise ,then turn off and leave for 5 mins to allow the heat to spread ,if needed run again for 2-3 mins and leave to stand continue this pattern untill the engine has a good ammount of heat or untill the temp gauge is reading the normal temp if no overheating or leaking water then everything ok