Winter Safety Tips for Teen Drivers

1. What is the best way to drive in wintry weather?

We can’t say it enough: The safest strategy is to not drive at all when the weather outside is nasty. However, if you do end up having to drive in wintry conditions, the following tips should hopefully help you stay in control of your vehicle.

• Take it slooow in order to maintain traction between your vehicle’s tires and the road’s surface.
• Turn off all automated vehicle features, like cruise control, so that you have complete control should your tires lose traction.
• Turn on your defroster to keep front and rear windows clear, but do not use the recirculate button, which might make your windows fog up.
• Avoid sudden braking or acceleration, as this can lead to skidding on icy surfaces.
• Keep a safe distance from the car in front of you, which is about 7–8 seconds on icy or snow-covered roads, and don’t try to change lanes or pass other drivers.
• Put on your headlights, hazards, and, if your car has them, fog lights, to make your vehicle as visible to other drivers as possible.

Road conditions in the winter can change very quickly, going from bad to worse in a matter of minutes. If you’re getting nervous or having trouble seeing the road, the smartest option is to pull over into an open driveway, a service station, or anywhere that you and your car will be safely clear of other moving vehicles.

2. What do you do if your car starts to skid?

No matter how slowly you are creeping along on the roadway, your car can still lose traction and start to skid. This can be especially startling if you don’t even see the ice on the road, like in the case of a patch of black ice, so here are some tips on how to handle this situation.

• Take your foot off the gas, because the last thing you want to do is accelerate your vehicle and cause your wheels to spin.
• Move your foot to the brake and softly pump the brakes, which should activate your car’s anti-lock brakes.
• Gently steer your car in the same direction that you feel the back end of your car sliding toward.
• Shift into a lower gear if you have a manual transmission, as this will give you more control.
• Once you feel like your tires have traction again, you can gradually accelerate.

Parents, if you were uneasy simply teaching your kids to drive, then you probably won’t like this suggestion—you may want to take your teen out to practice driving on slippery surfaces. If you can muster the courage to do this, you should find a very safe environment, like a large, empty parking lot. By driving on ice and testing the brakes, your young driver can see how their car feels and handles in these conditions.

3. What do you do if you get stuck in the snow?

You might think that once you get out of your snow-filled driveway, there’s little chance of getting stuck. In reality, your car can get stuck on a busy roadway, in a rut on the side of the road, or in a parking lot. If this does happen, you might be tempted to get out of the situation by gunning it. However, the best tactics to release your tires from the snow are the following.

• Keep your wheels straight.
• Use a very light touch on the gas pedal.
• Rock the car forward and back by switching between drive and reverse.
• Stop and change direction when the tires start to spin (unless you want to dig yourself even deeper into the snow).
• Once you get the car moving, accelerate steadily and don’t stop until you reach solid ground.

This strategy isn’t fail-safe. If you’re still stuck after trying these steps, and you are in a place where it’s safe to be outside of your car, you can use a shovel to dig a path several feet long in front of each wheel. Then, spread sand in those tracks, especially near the wheels. Repeat all the same steps above. At this point, if you’re still not moving anywhere, it’s time to call a parent or roadside service for help.

4. How do you safely drive by a snowplow?

While snowplows do critical work on our roadways all winter long, they can also be very intimidating, especially the large Massachusetts Department of Transportation versions. These massive plows take up more than their fair share of the road, with wing plow blades that extend up to 10 feet beyond the width of the truck. They can add to your visibility issues in a storm by kicking up snow, sand, and road debris. Here are some safe ways to deal with snowplows.

• Stay back—about 200 feet, or the length of three bowling lane alleys, is a good amount of distance to put between you and a plow.
• Only pass a snowplow if you must, and do so on the left-hand side, as the extended wing plow is typically attached on the right side of the truck.
• Don’t drive through a snow cloud created by a plow, as it might be concealing another vehicle or other road hazard.
• Make sure the snowplow driver can see your vehicle by avoiding the “No Zone,” also called the blind spot.

If you come across multiple snowplows working side-by-side on a highway, it is extremely dangerous to try to pass between or go around them. Instead, try to practice patience, follow at a safe distance, and be grateful that they are clearing a nice path for you on the roadway.

5. How do you get your car up a slippery hill?

First, consider if there is another route you can take to get to your destination. If there isn’t a different way for you to go, then here are some tips for making sure you get the whole way up the hill.

• Start with a slight bit of acceleration before you even reach the hill, which can help you gather some momentum to get to the top.
• Keep the speed and pressure on the gas steady, because too much power can cause your wheels to spin.
• Only stop your car if you must to avoid getting stuck or sliding backwards down the hill.

Getting down a slippery hill is equally as challenging as getting up one, and the same M.O. exists—find another route, if possible. When there’s no other way to go but down the hill, then follow similar strategies as you would if your car were to skid on flatter ground, the most important of which is to take it very slowly.