Winter driving - reader's comment

Many thanks to Mark Rose for sending in this comment about the following article:

Winter driving tips

"You missed one VERY important thing about winter driving, the reason why you see so many cars in the ditch backwards!

When there's a shallow compactable snowbank on the shoulder, DO NOT brake when you clip it! When most people feel the pulling on the passenger side they instinctively brake to slowdown and regain control. However, because the drag in compactable snow is so much greater than the relatively smooth road surface, and the center of momentum is to the side and not behind the front wheel, this causes the car to pivot around the wheel that suddenly has a big dragging force from the combination braking and the drag of the snow. If you manage to lock the front tyre, the accumulation of snow in front of it practically guarantees a pivot. The car spins until the rear wheels also hit the shallow bank, at which point the momentum keeps the car moving in the same direction, but backwards, into the ditch. This also applies with very loose gravel banks, not just snow.

The way to recover from clipping the shallow bank is to slightly point the wheels away from the bank (perhaps a 1/16th to 1/32nd of a turn on the steering wheel). The extra grip given by the compactable snow can easily result in oversteer if the steering movement is too much or too sudden (you have more turning power than a moment ago). Also, it is best to keep the foot at the same position on the accelerator in a front wheel drive vehicle, as the additional drag from the coasting engine is also enough to cause pivoting in very slippery conditions.

If you HAVE to slow down, wait until you have stabilized the steering situation, then lightly apply the brakes. Having the front wheels pointed in towards the road will counteract the pivoting force, and you will have to balance this as you change the amount of braking."

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