If you have to do it, how should it be done to minimise the likelyhood of stuffing it into a ditch/parked car? Assuming a modern FWD tiptop.

experience is best, but failing that, anticipation, smooth inputs, and keep eyes peeled for frost and ice. And just driving slower, that alone is the single thing that will most reduce your accident risk and also damage if you do have one.

Keep in as high a gear as possible and use gears to slow down. Skidding is caused by sudden changes in direction or speed, so avoid hard acceleration or braking and sudden changes in direction

I've very gentle with the throttle to avoid braking traction. At the first sign of wheel spin, I lift off or if travelling V slowly dip the clutch until traction is regained and try again.

When approaching a hazard or corner, I lift off very early and allow the car to slow down on its own. It is also useful to be in a gear one lower than you might normally use so that engine braking helps deceleration. Be careful down shifting if you don't rev match accurately or use the clutch subtly. The shock to the driven wheels can cause them to slip.

Braking hard will probably cause you to skid so I brake gently and early, lifting off and reapplying at the first hint of a skid (or keeping my foot in and trusting the ABS if fitted).

To make the most of limited grip I only brake or steer or accelerate at any one time, avoiding any combination of two. If you need to brake and steer, get the braking in early so you get to the corer at a speed that you only need to steer.

I avoid steep downward gradients; especially ones with a junction or sharp bend at the bottom.

I also keep a big gap between me and the car in front. Double if the arsehole behind me is tailgating. I also drive a low power FWD car with surprisingly good wet grip. When we had the bad snow last year, I noticed that the vehicles with the most trouble were generally RWD.

I may have got some of that wrong but its what I do.

[Edited on 23-12-2009 by smart51]

Have a pee before you go out.

Concentration is key

Find a deserted icy/snowy carpark with no kerbs etc and have a play you soon learn how cars behave ion the snow or ice.

As above, proceed slowly, high a gear as possible, steer into the skid if you do start to slide.

As a general rule I try to avoid other peoples tracks as they're usually ice rather than snow. Fresh snow is actually not too bad to drive in at all I think, it's when it's all compacted that it's a bitch.

Biggest often overlooked tip is make sure your windows and roof are clear. I worked in claims for years and can remember a few bumps caused by people braking heavy and all of a sudden the windscreen is 3 inch thick in snow that's slid off the roof. I also remember a case where someone failed to clear their windscreen properly of ice and was prosecuted by the rozzers.

I guess due to the poxy little tyres but my old Cinquecento and currently the missus's Toyota iQ both are pretty good in the snow, never been stuck yet.

[Edited on 23/12/09 by eznfrank]

Treat the brake pedal as if there's an egg on it. You will slow better by doing this than trusting ABS - which is next to useless in very low grip situations.

What I tend to do sometimes as well is, if I'm unsure exactly what level of grip there is, try a dab of brake or gas an "feel" how slippy it is. Obviously thats only in a situation where you won't present a hazard, i.e. on the flat and when there's no cars, kerbs or ditches about!

ABS can cause problems when driving in snow as the wheels will not lock up, therefore not causing a "snowplough" effect to slow you down, so be careful if you have ABS

Go slowly.
Do everything very carefully and gently.
don't forget to handbrake round icey corners

Concentration, read the road as far ahead as poss and try to avoid brake heavy (or at all if on ice)

use the handbrake

Honestly, you stop quicker sideways than forward, so a sideways flick can help.

Personally I go and play on local car parks when it is icey so I know what to do when it goes wrong for real.

Experience is the only teacher.

don't be a knob is the best advice - you're not Colin Mcrae or even close so just be gentle.... spinning the wheels wont help anything.....



[Edited on 23/12/09 by D Beddows]

If you are on the kind of ice that was in Totnes today and you are going downhill, then praying would be one of the more effective methods of control.

this is my realy first driving expernince in the snow and ice, and i found going to and from work, i was slow and gental.

but when i got home i did go a find an empty car park, to see what happens and see if i could control it is some way. i not the best at controling it in the ice, as compared to the indy, i know what that will do most of the time in a saxo on the ice, it is just unreadable at the moment, as every has said experince is required

stuart

Park your car on a road that you know is either gritted or flat (both if possible).

Engine braking is a bonus as even the slightest dab of the brakes can lock the wheels up.

...........and scrape your windows/screen - I don't know how people can drive looking through a tiny patch of cleared screen

When driving in snow or mud it is a natural reaction to use more throttle when the wheels start to spin.
If you train yourself to do the opposite then traction issues are much reduced.
John.

i once slid across a tee junction sideways, i realised i couldnt stop so yanked the handbrake on to try to take it in style - nearly took my wheels off on the opposite kerb! Moral is, test grip at the top of the hill and if you do end up unable to stop, try to grind it down the kerb.

RWD, skid, off the gas and steer into the skid.

FWD skid, turn the wheels in the direction you want to go and apply moderate power after allowing the wheels to grip.

ABS will not stop as quickly as cadence or threashold braking, but will stop in a shorter distance and more safely (ie; straight ahead) as four locked brakes.

Last week we got 1.5 meters of snow in three days, still driving on plowed roads with 2-4mm of compacted frozen snow and ice, take your time and watch intersections were acceleration and braking have turned the road into polished glare ice.

We get to drive in this 4-6months a year.

The biggest benefit of ABS I have experienced was when the wheels on one side of the car were on something slippery - without it I would have been in a spin, but with it I was able to stop in a straight line.

Most people don't realise is that it may take a greater distance to stop with ABS - but (hopefully) you will have some control of where you are going.

Thin tyres, my old 106 had 135 wide ones and had very few problems

It's probably a bit late now but go to the scrappy and get some old steelies with skinny tyres on them

As Canada EH said it comes with practice. I was in Montreal last week ( aslo had some idiot smash out my window and steel everything out of the car in -30 cel weather)

We have the same thing here the first few snow falls of the year - every forgets everything they learned the year before many slow down and leave lots of space and worst case if you your going to hit something the ditch is better than another car or tree.

Similar to trying to drive at the fastest you ever had but in the pouring rain with bald tires.

Take it easy and its usually ok.
Dale