Driving in the snow (Denver: transplants, credit, buy)

[City Girl]

I don't know how to drive in the snow? I want to prepare for my move to Colorado as best I can. I was thinking last night "Hey you have never had to drive in the snow!" lol. What can I do to educate myself? Does the DMV have a safety pamphlet I can look at? Of course hands on is the best way to learn in my opinion, but I'd like to have an idea ahead of time.

[.gif]

drive slowly with both hands on the wheel and don't make any sudden movements. brake slowly. accelerate slowly. turn slowly. snow tires for the winter are a good idea. make sure your car has a lot of windshield wiper fluid. you don't want to run out in the middle of a snowstorm. make sure your wipers are in good condition. always have an ice scraper/snow brush on hand. hopefully you don't have a RWD car. if you don't have ABS, pump your brakes if you go into a slide. go against your natural instincts and steer into the direction of the slide. keep blankets or extra warm clothing in your car in case you get stranded. it's also a good idea to have a sandbag handy if you get stuck and need some extra traction. stay many car lengths behind the driver in front of you.

[.gif]

i did a quick search on google and found this:
Winter Driving Tips

this is mostly what i said with some additional tips.

[City Girl]

Thank you so much! I really appreciate that!

[eastwestman]

I can't stress enough the importance of snow tires. They can be the difference between life and death. You still need to drive slowly and prudently, but they give you traction that the best set of all season tires can't offer. Buy the best set of snow tires that you can afford. You'll never regret it when it comes to winter driving!

[corduroyboy]

I grew up in the snow belt of Upstate NY and have had plenty of fun in the snow. My advice, go to a big wide open parking lot that is covered in snow and play around in it. Get the feel for what your car does in the snow. Drive slow in real traffic, get good snow tires, and keep PLENTY of distance between you and the car in front of you. Once you get the hang of it, it's second nature.

Now I plan to move to CO pretty soon as well. I'm marrying a California girl who scares the life out of me when she drives on dry pavement. Her driving in the snow is something I wont be able to comprehend. Maybe the 2 of you can take a winter driving course!! I'll instruct!

[City Girl]

This may be a stupid question BUT

Can I use snow tires all year long? Is that best? Or would I need to use other tires during the other seasons?

[.gif]

you can use snow tires all year long but it is not a good idea. you will wear them out and they won't be any good for the next winter. plus they generally do not handle as well as normal tires and tend to be louder.

[RowJimmy]

Trust me majority of the people in Denver don't know how to drive in the snow since they are all transplants from California or Texas. You have some people who are masters of it there, and others that are down right dangerous.

One more thing. Just because you have a giant SUV with snow tires doesn't mean you can still do 70 miles an hour and pass people in a blizzard. Most of the Texan transplants thought that was the case. If you drive on I-70 i the winter you will see overturned SUVs everywhere. THe key is knowing how to accelerate and decelerate slowly. I was taught by pretending the pedal is an egg you don't want to break when driving in the snow.

[jazzlover]

Originally Posted by City Girl

I don't know how to drive in the snow? I want to prepare for my move to Colorado as best I can. I was thinking last night "Hey you have never had to drive in the snow!" lol. What can I do to educate myself? Does the DMV have a safety pamphlet I can look at? Of course hands on is the best way to learn in my opinion, but I'd like to have an idea ahead of time.

I will give you credit--at least you are attempting to get information and learn about winter driving. That is unlike most of the "transplants" who either just ignorantly try to tackle it, or--worse--THINK they know it all already. Those are usually the ones that wind up in accidents or upside down in the ditch.

My father tought me how to drive on snow and ice and he was a master at it. I remember one of his first comments, "Drive like you have a rotten egg strapped to the bottom of your foot and you really DON'T want to break it." In others words, "finesse." Easy acceleration, easy stops. Know how to steer when the vehicle skids--and this can vary depending on the type of vehicle (front-wheel drive, rear-wheel drive, 4 wheel drive, etc.). Keep extra distance between you and vehicles around you--admittedly not easy to do with some of the dumb*** drivers around these days.

Know how to "read" road conditions. What you slip on is not snow or ice, but the fine skim of WATER on the surface of the snow or ice. The slickest roads are often found not when it is super-cold, but right near freezing temperature. Black ice, of course, can be the worst, because it is hard to see. Snow tires can help in snowpack, but only studded tires help in glare ice--and sometimes not even that much. And no combination of tires, four-wheel-drive, etc. can compensate if one is driving too fast for conditions. Unfortunately, that is an epidemic in Colorado, especially along the I-70 "Sacrifice Zone" going to the mountains. Conversely, driving too slowly can also cause problems. Sometimes only experience can teach the difference.

I have driven in the mountains of Colorado, Wyoming, and northern New Mexico for about 40 winters now. I have never had a weather-related accident on the road. I have been stuck only once--when caught without chains in a two-wheel drive truck towing a 16,000 pound trailer in a rare and extreme September snowstorm. I keep good tires on my vehicles, keep them maintained for winter conditions, try to drive sensibly, and always carry a "winter survival kit" with me during the winter months. The latter might seem to be "overkill" in Colorado, but face the prospect of sleeping in your car overnight during a Wyoming blizzard, and you will pack one from then on.

I'll say one last general thing to anyone thinking of moving to this region: If you don't want to drive on snowpacked or icy roads, then DON'T MOVE TO THE ROCKY MOUNTAIN WEST! Having to drive in those conditions is part of the deal if you live here.