Snow Driving
These tips may save your life, or the life of another stranded. If you want to survive a crisis on a winter road in snow driving, preparing for the trip well in advance is paramount. Plan your driving route and tune into the road conditions before you leave, be aware and alerted to all possible conditions. Arctic driving in the winter has given significant insight to this writer.
Prior to taking a journey on roads with ice and snow, take your vehicle in for an inspection and make necessary repairs to ensure you’re safe. Start your vehicle and warm it up before your trip, while it is warming up be sure to remove ice and snow from windows, lights, vents, mirrors and the roof of your vehicle.
Temperatures dip between -20 to -65 between the 50th and the 56th parallel deep in the winter months. With the wind chill, exposure even for seconds means frostbite or for an hour it can mean death. All drivers here who make this journey at any time prepare, discuss and make choices in the gear that they will bring. There are no side roads to hotels, homes, emergency services or even gas stations for hours, any time you see a gas station every two hours, pull in and keep your gas tank on full.
Make sure you confirm your estimated arrival time and your destination with a friend. If you do not show up, provide them with a window of two hours before they contact authorities to start looking for you, time is critical in the winter in snow driving. Travel with a companion or in a convoy; if you get into trouble on the road you will have help.
The first rule of the road in winter driving is to yield to semi drivers, or to follow their tail lights if you are in a storm, but stay far back enough to provide proper breaking time. Travel at a slow speed, the road may look clean and clear, but there is black ice which can pull you off into a ditch, which could bury your entire vehicle in the snow. This will not enable anyone to find you easily.
If you see a vehicle in the ditch with its lights on, STOP, make sure that they are OK and help is on the way, if you do not the individuals may die. If you do not feel comfortable with helping someone in snow driving then push on slowly, chances are they ended up in the ditch for a reason, which could be due to wind gusts.
You have two areas of any vehicle you can store things in, one is your trunk (back seat, or behind your seat in your truck) and the other is under your seats.
Things to store under your seat and glove box for a winter emergency are: snow brush and ice scraper, matches and a lighter, 10 long burning emergency candles, First aid kit, non-perishable foods such as granola bars canned sardines, crackers and can of soup. Include an emergency plug-in rotating light (plugs into lighter in dash) this will attract attention which is what you may need. Bring a compass or GPS device, flashlight, knife, roll of aluminum foil, toilet paper (oh yes), Mylar blankets and a fire extinguisher; emergency cell phone and charger, 2 jugs of water (2 liters each). You will also want to bring an extra pair of winter boots, tuck them behind your seat.
The aluminum foil can save your life, you cannot drink snow it will not sustain you, but you can melt the snow to drink. The most important thing to have access to is a good water supply, candles and aluminum foil ensure that. Be sure to also have a small battery operated radio (with two extra batteries) that can pick up radio stations so you can stay tuned to the weather conditions. Do not leave your car running if you are in the ditch, if your tailpipe is plugged with snow you can gas yourself to death.
Things to store in the trunk, or behind your seat: folding shovel, blanket (oversized sleeping bag good for -30) wrapped in an orange plastic garbage bag with a change of clothes, flares, jumper cables, flat tire repair kit, car emergency tool kit, extra fuses and road side reflectors. If you can bring an extra parka and gloves this will help you if you have to repair the vehicle and endure the elements.
Bring tow chains, 20 feet of brightly colored nylon rope, a portable battery charger (or trickle charger), tire jack and a spare tire (most cars have them now built-in), antifreeze, a full jerry can of gas and funnel. You can also bring a bag of kitty litter which will help with traction and add to the weight of your vehicle in snow driving with icy conditions.
If you need to leave your vehicle to try to complete a repair, tie the nylon rope to your steering wheel and thread it through your window, then tie the rope to your wrist. Leave your window down enough to get your arm into the vehicle to unlock it, in case you lock your keys inside. Blizzards can dis-orient you easily within 2 feet and you can become lost within a few feet of your vehicle.
The only other advice I can offer you is to make sure you have a great Roadside Assistance package; you never know when you may need the help.
Sources:
http://www.ccohs.ca/oshanswers/safety_haz/icesnow.html
http://www.mto.gov.on.ca/english/safety/winterdrive/winterdrive.shtml
http://www.tc.gc.ca/eng/roadsafety/safevehicles-safetyfeatures-winterdriving-index-693.htm
