AAA Offers Reminders For Driving In Winter Weather

RICHMOND? — AAA rides to the rescue of about 32 million stranded motorists across the country each year. The not-for-profit auto club association offers the following winter-weather reminders for motorists driving in the snow:
—  Stay home. If you really don’t have to go out, don’t. Even if you can drive well in snow, it’s not worth the risk.
— Accelerate and decelerate slowly. Applying the gas slowly to accelerate is the best method for regaining traction and avoiding skids.
— Drive slowly. Every maneuver takes longer on snow-covered roads.
— Increase your following distance to eight to ten seconds. This increased margin of safety will provide the longer distance needed if you have to stop.
— Whether you have anti-lock brakes or not, the best way to stop is threshold breaking. 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 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.