10 Tips for Driving in the Snow

Welcome to the Northeast!

There is a saying that is usually right on. “If you don’t like the weather…wait an hour or two and it will change.”

With the winter upon us, I thought it would be a good time to re-post some snow driving tips from last year. I have grown up in Connecticut in the Valley, so I learned a little bit about winter driving, especially on hills.

1. Drive slower than normal. This may be hard to do because there will be no one else out, but you still should.
2. Take care when switching from a “clean” road to a snowy one, it may cause you to slide. This includes driving under bridges that don’t have snow under them.
3. When coming to a stop make sure to leave extra space for sliding.
4.When starting off, start off slowly, especially on a hill. Let the car’s weight pull you forward before accelerating, this will help to keep your tires from spinning.
5. When driving up a hill in the snow, don’t switch gears. Keep steady and even pressure on the gas. (If you can switch to a manual gear before hand, that’s good too)
6. If you are having trouble getting up a hill and are sliding, try turning the wheel back and forth smoothly to zig zag up the hill.
7. Black pavement does not mean safe.  A lot of times there is ice that you can’t see.
8. Bridges freeze first, so be careful.
9. When driving on the highway, the slow lane is not always the best. It will accumulate more snow than the middle or fast lane.
10. Be nice and give pedestrians the right of way…it is snowing out…

If you have anything else to add, please leave it in the comments. Thanks!