Winter Road Trips Tips

Planning a road trip through the snow and ice? These road-tested professional driving advice of the instructor Bob Schaller will help keep you safe, warm, and on the right track. RTA's Road Food Guru Dennis Weaver tells how to stay hydrated and fed by cold weather.

GET PREPARED

Before you drive, clarity of the snow and ice on the windows, hood, lights and the roof. Keep your own vehicle to help you be more visible to others. The vehicle maintenance is always important, but even more so in extreme climatic conditions. Make sure all these systems are in good working order ignition system, fuel system, belts, hoses, fluids, brakes, exhaust system, windshield wipers and exploitation, heating and defroster, cooling system, battery, and lights. Make sure you have winter-grade oil in the crankcase. Keep fuel-don't let it be below half before filling. Add the essence of anti-freeze if necessary.


WINTER
Route food tips
RTA of food Guru's Road Dennis Weaver

If you travel on the main arteries and become stranded, a day's worth of food and water should be sufficient to support you to the finish. If you are traveling secondary roads, consider taking other. In the dark or in a storm, it is easy to miss a turn and finished at the end of a road from a distance.

To survive, you need a lot of calories, 2000 calories a day is not enough in cold weather. If you are active, you can use only twice. Pack foods that are filling and require no preparation. A bag of candy can provide calories needed, but will quickly become tiring and who do not meet if that is all you have to eat. Sandwiches, fruit, and cookies are better choices. A thermos of hearty stew is even better.

If you travel in the cold weather, remember that the food in the trunk will freeze. While a frozen sandwich may not be a big deal, a rock-hard apple. If you are stranded without heat in the car, stick these apples in your coat pocket where they will not freeze.

The water is as important as food. Because it is cold, you do not feel thirsty, but it is easy to get dehydrated in the winter. Pack six 16 oz bottles per day for a man and four for a woman. (Source: University of Michigan) And remember, that water freezes in the trunk, too.

Wheels and Traction: You must be at least 1/8-inch tire tread depth and a good inflation. The low temperatures have an effect on the drop in tire pressure-check frequently enough to keep inflation. Carry invest in chains or winter tires (mud and snow). In some states, you can use studded snow tires, but they are illegal in others. Traction devices often greatly increase your stopping distance, and therefore control of your vehicle carefully. "All season tires are not the best choice for poor conditions outside the sanded, immune to the streets of a city, make sure you have good snow tires lugged if you travel through Countries heavy snow.

Knowing the difference between the standard brakes and ABS, (click here to learn more about it) and how to use each. When using ABS, press on the brake and maintain. Do not release the pressure. With standard brakes, use threshold braking. Tap the brake pedal until the wheels start to lock, then release just enough pressure to run again. It is important to have your brakes so as not to pull to one side or the other.

Equipment recommended:

* CB Radio
* Mobile Phone
* Scraper and brush
* Folding shovel
* Jumper cables
* Rope tow
* Sand or cat litter (for traction)
* Flares
* Blankets
* The cold weather clothing (isolated)
* A good flashlight (cold kills batteries, make sure they wear fresh and spare
parts)
* High-energy food (see box)
* Drinking water
* Medications for long journeys.
* A box of lock de-icer (Do not use hot water on glass or locks-it will only
make things worse)

This is not the time to get stuck with a flat tire, so be sure to have a jack, and an ear key inflated spare tire in good condition.

Get last-minute information on weather and road conditions on your state's Department of Transportation (DOT) Web site is the best place to start. (For more information related to weather forecasting and reporting, click here.) You must have the latest weather information-FORECAST (like those in newspapers) are known for their lack of reliability! Ask about possible avalanche conditions along your route.

Last but not least: Let someone know where you are going and when you expect to arrive.

GET GOING

First, seat belts. (For more information on this subject here.) Then, do not in a hurry. Reduce your speed according to conditions. Reduce speed by 30% in rain, 50% in the snow. If the road is icy, reduce more. While it is important not to drive too fast, it is also important to continue to move forward and not go too slow you need to maintain the momentum of your vehicle chugging ahead in the snow, especially on grades .

Keep a light touch on the controls. When driving in snow and ice, the softness is the key. Sudden moves will almost certainly lead to a loss of traction on slippery roads, and at that point you are just a passenger you go where the car goes! More than any other factor, even the experience and competence, gentleness takes you.

Consider the future and leaving room for stopping or maneuvering before the vehicle begins to meet certain conditions. You need at least 8 to 10 seconds apart in winter conditions, and PLUS if the road could be icy.

Beginning brake, the brakes gently, without hindrance. If your wheels lock, you lose control, so keep them rolling. Do not be over because your car has traction, four-wheel drive, front-wheel drive, or any other device that makes you think you can speed in weather conditions faster than other people. Remember that 4WD does not provide any advantage in braking. It will take as much time as any other vehicle to stop.

Do not use electronic speed control if you might encounter slippery sections. If you lose traction and the car starts to skid, let up gradually from the accelerator, without touching the brakes. Leading the vehicle gently toward the direction you want it to go. When the tires start rolling again, gently slow down and stop if necessary. Breathe deeply. That always works for me…

Woods Canyon Lake, Arizona

More things to keep in mind:

Beware of carbon monoxide. Do not start your car in an enclosed area and let it rest with the cab closed.

Remember that the bridge surfaces, shadows, and low places where water can collect will be the first areas to freeze.

Remember that driving in poor conditions is tiring for leave much time for rest and continues to push it if you feel tired and sleepy.

If you do not, generally, the best thing is to remain in your vehicle and keep warm while you wait for help. Again, be careful about carbon monoxide and check your exhaust pipe. Clear away snow, ice and everything that can be blocking.

Do not take shortcuts in the winter to keep the main roads. Back roads may be plowed or patrolled, and if you get stuck, you may be there for a long time. Maybe before spring ...

Robert Schaller
October 30, 2005