5 tips for safe driving in the snow

LOS ANGELES - Think you’re an expert at driving in the snow? 

When wintry weather hits, whether you learned to drive in Alaska or Florida, be prepared with these tips for safely driving in the snow, courtesy of AAA:

1. Take your time. When the roads are covered in snow, there’s no rushing. Accelerate, drive, and decelerate slowly. Don’t stomp on the gas. Slow down sooner for a stoplight, and increase your following distance to eight to 10 seconds.

To regain traction and avoid skidding, the best method is to SLOWLY accelerate.

2. Avoid coming to a complete stop if you can. There’s a big difference in the amount of inertia it takes to start moving from a full stop versus how much it takes to get moving while still rolling. 

If you can slow down enough to keep rolling until a traffic light changes, do it.

3. Don’t power up the hills. Applying extra gas on snow-covered roads just starts your wheels spinning. 

Try to get a little inertia going before you reach the hill and let that inertia help carry you to the top. As you reach the top of the hill, reduce your speed and proceed down hill as slowly as possible.

4. Don’t stop on your way up a hill. There’s nothing worse than trying to get moving up a hill on an icy road. Get some inertia going on a flat roadway before you take on the hill.

5. Stay home. If a drive isn’t necessary, don’t go out. Even if you are an expert at driving in the snow, not everyone else is. They might not have seen this article. 

So cozy up, and enjoy the snow from inside instead.