Get ready for some white-knuckle driving tomorrow.
We haven’t had much practice driving in the snow in recent years and you may be a little rusty on what to do in slippery situations.
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Here are some reminders on what you need to know if you have to be out on the roads.
Those warnings to stay home and off the roads during a snowstorm come with good reason.
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“Just from 2021 to 2023, there were 11,000 crashes in the Bay State during snowfall or when snow is still on the roadway,” says Mark Schieldrop, spokesman for AAA Northeast. “And of those crashes, 11 people lost their lives and 1800 people were injured and if you think about it, not many days of the year we are seeing snow on the roads...that's a lot of crashes. That's a lot of fatalities for that short period of time.”
The main rule of thumb is to slow it down to account for lower traction when there is snow on the roads.
“Along with slowing down, you got to increase that following distance. If you have to make an abrupt stop, you might lose control and hit the car in front of you,” Schieldrop said. “If your tires are more than a few years old, they're starting to be worn out. You're going to be at a significant disadvantage. Somebody with a good set of tires is going to be able to stop sooner, stop more quickly, and they're going to have much more control and traction when there's any snow on the ground.”
Remember to accelerate and decelerate slowly to regain traction and avoid skids. If you do start to skid, don’t panic.
“Hold down that brake pedal and look at where you want to go, and your hands will naturally follow your eyes. You can steer when you're breaking,” said Schieldrop. “A lot of times when people are starting to lose control, they panic, they freeze, they slam on that brake pedal and they don't steer the car. Continue to steer the car even when that brake pedal depressed.”
Hopefully you’ll be able to maintain control of your vehicle and avoid a crash.
And you better dig out your ice scrapers and snow brooms and use them. Remember that in Massachusetts you can get cited for driving with snow obstructing your windows or for not removing it from your roof.
“It's considered an unsecured load according to Massachusetts law,” Schieldrop explained. “So, while it's not directly illegal to have snow on your car, if you have snow in your car and it comes off and causes damage to another vehicle, or could potentially injure or kill someone, because of causing a crash, you know, you can be cited and face legal consequences for that.”
If you do get into an accident, get to the shoulder of the road, stay in your vehicle, keep your seatbelt on and call for help.
AAA said first responders and tow truck drivers have been struck at an increasing rate in recent years and you need to remember that the roadside is an extremely dangerous place to be, especially in low visibility situations. Use extreme caution if you choose to get out of your vehicle to look at the damages.
AAA recommends you keep an emergency kit in your car. In addition to that snow broom you may want to add some flashlights and a blanket, make sure you have a phone charger, some water, jumper cables, sand or non-clumping cat litter to use as a traction aid and a shovel in case you get stuck.
