No winter for slow drivers

After driving around in our wonderful winter weather, I have one thing to say: If you go too slow go back home. I'm not talking about traveling at reasonable speeds in wintery conditions. I'm talking about you dangerously slow drivers.

I was out on New Years Eve and was caught behind a perfect example. I was second place in a train of cars caused by one person doing 8 mph in a 30 mph zone. You never know what another person's vehicle can handle and need to give people some leeway, but when 15 vehicles are piled up behind you it is time to ask yourself whether you should even be out on the road at all.

If that many people feel it is safe to travel that much faster than you, just stay home. Other people's safety is not worth whatever errand you are slowly running out to take care of.

Going slow doesn't necessarily mean going safe. I have seen plenty of people do stupid things to get around slow vehicles and just because there is snow does not mean that those people are going to be any more intelligent.

If you are one of those slow people who does not feel safe driving in the snow in your car there are a number of options. The jaded driver in me wants you to just stay home if you and your car can not handle it. However, I know that is unreasonable so here are some suggestions.

1. Stay home. I thought I would just throw it back in there again to see if it might sink in this time.

2. Evaluate the situation. How fast you can travel varies by the road conditions but a simple tap on the brakes, while traveling directly straight and at low speed to minimize any chance of losing control, can be all that you need to tell you that things aren't really that bad or you need to get off the road as soon as possible. Just remember to take it easy around the corners no matter how easy the going seems.

3. Figure out your cars limits. I have always been a huge fan of snow covered empty parking lots. I am pretty sure most car people are. I can just see Henry Ford doing donuts in a Model T. If you decide to find an empty lot I would suggest doing it in one you have been in before so you don't run into any nasty surprises, such as snow covered parking barriers, that can re-arrange your suspension. There is a great deal to be said for simply knowing how your car behaves.

If you are adverse to a little hooliganism, there are schools that will teach you in a more formal environment. Team O'Neil teaches some people how to drive fast on rally tracks, but they also offer car control schools. And if anyone is reading this from Team O'Neil, yes I would love to give a first hand account of your wonderful schools and feel free to contact me.

4. When in doubt - BUY SOME SNOW TIRES. All season tires are only all season if you live in California or Florida. There have been numerous studies done on the benefits of running tires designed to handle snow, including one recently by Car and Driver and Edmunds Insideline. There are real benefits and even AWD vehicles and SUVs will benefit from them. Recently Quebec began fining drivers who do not use snow tires in the winter.

5. When all else fails add weight. During the winter it is common to see truck beds full of snow, or bags of sand. This has been a common tactic used to get more weight over the rear driven wheels to add traction in snow. It works for front wheel drive passenger cars as well. A few tubes of sand can add stability to a car. The vehicle I was stuck behind on New Years was a Chevy Aveo, one of the smallest, lightest cars on the road. Adding weight to that car would have allowed the tires to dig in better to the snow. It will reduce your gas mileage, but who gets good mileage in the winter with those extended warm ups anyhow?

That's all I can think of for now, but remember that there is never any excuse for driving in an unsafe manner, whether it be recklessly fast, or recklessly slow. If you have any other ideas about how to better improve the safety of winter driving leave a comment. And if you think I am totally off base, leave a comment.