I live up a mountain road at around 6500 feet. Average snowfall on a good storm day is just under 3 feet.

Here's my thing: Drive slow, 4x4 can help but when tires slip...they slip. In the event of losing control, don't try to regain control, sometimes it's better just to let the car do its thing.

I've seen, Jeeps, lifted Ford Raptors, German cars stuck or on the side of the road after a crash. Snow doesn't give a shit, respect it, drive slow, try to follow the line of the drive in front of while it's snowing.

In terms of how a car handles: 4x4 > AWD > FWD > RWD.

Slow, smooth, and friendly. Give yourself extra time and give yourself extra distance, especially following distance. Clear ALL your windows and the top of your car. Turn your lights on. If you have crappy worn-out tires - stay home.

Give a greater distance than you normally would between cars

Slow the fuck down.

Know your vehicle. Front wheel or rear wheel drive. Drive slow. Don't drive when you can't handle it. Don't drive when the weather is non-compromising.

Great tip!

If you meant to link a video, you didn’t

Driving in snow is very much like skiing. You have to expect to slide around corners.

If it’s snowing it’s foggy with a lot of water in the air. Different than raining. If it’s misty, you can’t turn on you headlights all the way or you’ll cause too much glare against the water vapor. Headlights have three clicks, do the first click

don't have a heavy foot. Ease into a stop and don't pound the accelerator. if it's snowing, even lightly, turn your wipers on low and your running lights on, just like if it was drizzling out.

That station is from Charlotte NC. WBTV Charlotte.

Keep in mind we’re in the South, and snow is a big deal for us lol.

In utah if there was an inch or two it would take me over an hour to get to work on the interstate but if there was 6+ inches, for whatever reason everyone decided to say fuck it and drive like they wanted to die and I’d get there in 15 minutes

Edit: words, to sway dad jokes far away from me

Or even 4 wheel grip. I've seen 4 wheel drive vehicles spin out in the snow because their drivers were idiots.

Stay home unless you really need to go out. Needs to be your first line.

Our infrastructure is not designed around snow and especially ice, even if you know how to drive in ice and snow.

Leave room for EMS, i suspect they will be busy tomorrow and into the night.

Odds are, cars will be off the road all over the place. Possibly gridlock. Road closures. Stuck and unable to get where you were intending to go anyway. Stay home

Basically, if you don’t know how/have never driven in snowy/ice conditions don’t start tomorrow.

Even those of us that do know how to drive in those conditions don’t unless we have too.

Floridians can barely drive when the sun is shining.

-Use your damn turn signals.

You lost everyone at this one

No need to “pump your brakes” if you have ABS (which you almost certainly do.)

What you need to do is be familiar with the unsettling feeling of ABS activating. The brake pedal will pulsate very quickly under your foot when the ABS activates, you’ll be tempted to release pressure. Dont. Keep braking hard, look where you want to go and steer steadily in that direction. Do NOT look at what youre trying to avoid, you steer where you look and you’ll go where you’re looking.

The best advice is take 10 minutes in an empty parking lot and practice making sharp turns and quick starts and stops. Do this to get a feel for how your car behaves in those conditions. This is knowledge you should have BEFORE you need it.

Source; Ive been driving large, heavy emergency vehicles for over 20 years, taken professional driving courses at my local racetrack and completed a 3-day precision driving school for aspiring stunt drivers. I also drive extensively in the Lake Tahoe region all winter.

Biggest tip: slow down. That’s it. That’s the tip. It’s not sexy and yet it’s the most effective thing you can possibly do.

Source: Been driving in Vermont weather for 30 years, never gone off the road.

Don't pump your brakes if you have anti lock brakes ( pretty much any car made after 2005 ), it will do a better job than you ever could pumping.

The only exception is if you are on a surface where you need to lock the wheels to accumulate snow or gravel in front of your tires to slow down. ABS will never allow this, so it can extend stopping distances in those rare occasions.

And few more car lengths is better than a few feet if it's slippery, and do it before you KNOW it's slippery so when you find out it won't be from hitting something because you didn't have enough grip.

And PRACTICE in a safe area ( empty parking lot ) every winter to get your snow reflexes back and to understand how your driver assist options work beyond just antilock brakes.

I was eager to read this as I don't know how to drive in the snow.

Then I read "pump your brakes" and know I couldn't trust anything else :(

I suggest that you get some snow tires and SLOW DOWN. Accidents can happen in a blink of an eye. Be careful while driving.

Wet snow or dry snow?

If you can, head to a big empty parking lot and practice.

Skidding as you go around a corner: no gas or brakes, turn slightly into the skid until the tires catch, then carefully drive out of it. Even if you slide off the road, you will usually at least still be facing the right direction.

Canadian here. Best advice is still that one from the southern state TV forecast meme:

"If you rarely drive on snow, just pretend that you're taking your grandma to church. There's a platter of biscuits and 2 gallons of sweet tea in glass jars in the back seat. She's wearing a new dress and holding a crock pot full of gravy."

Translation:

• drive a bit slower than you might normally
• look ahead and plan further ahead on when you might be braking or steering
• anticipate any sudden lane changes and braking; act earlier
• less sudden, more gradual; in everything from starts to stops to lane changes or making turns; which if you anticipated and expect things, you'll have time for.

Regardless of whether you have Supre Extreme Ice BlaZ0R Snow Tires or you're rocking your cheapo Sailun all-seasons, expect your stopping distance and ability to be less than half your normal. And remember everyone around you will also be challenged the same amount. But half of those people will forget that. So:

• when you slow or come to a stop in traffic or at a light/stop/4-way, leave roughly a car or two distance between you and the car/intersection in front, UNTIL you can

• see that the person behind you is ALSO coming to a stop and is LIKewise leaving space, and they are watching for people behind them.

• ONLY when you see the car behind you is slowing, coming to a stop and the vehicle behind THEM is as well, can or should you close up any gap.

• Always be scoping out where you can bail to if someone comes in hot behind you. Slowing at a stop sign? As you check to see the guy behind you is likewise slowing, look for where you can go if you had to "oh shit, guy behind me is locked up and sliding, I can throw on my signal and just turn right".

• always scope out where YOU can bail if you try and stop but for whatever reason you lock up and are sliding.

Go out to an empty parking lot (preferably one without lights in the middle) and just practise giving er the beans and steering; get an idea for how your car (and your tires) handle in the snow. Do donuts, try handbrake turns. The more comfortable you are when your car is sliding, the less you panic when it happens and you didn't plan it. Watch Cars and the bit where Doc teaches Lightning to steer through the slide. Practice steering into a sideways slide on the snow.

Above all else, just give yourself extra time to go anywhere. Like an extra half hour per half hour of trip. Plan for the worst. Have a winter emergency kit (blankets, candles, flashlight, jumper cables, some food/snacks, bottles of water, extra clothes, gloves, hat.)

If you find yourself locked up and sliding, you want your drive wheels pulling your vehicle towards "out of danger" as possible. If you have FWD you might as well crank the wheel to the side you want to go and gun it, it'll bring your nose around at least; just plan ahead on what side of the vehicle you're gonna present to whatever you're about to slide into. If you're drifting into the back of a semi and you dont' have a passenger, maybe you want to present your passenger side to the truck. Also, you're already sliding, if you have a RWD vehicle, its worth a try slamming it into reverse and gunning it to slow you down. If you crank the wheel and gun it, your back end is just gonna break loose and you do a donut. Again, find a snowy empty parking lot and go out and practise this stuff.

Be careful.

Go slow and give lots of room for braking ahead of lights and stop signs. Clear off your car completely before heading out. All the snow will blow off… don’t make it more difficult for others on the road and yourself. Luckily not many folks will be out at the time so you’ll have more room for error. Give yourself plenty of time. Also— go to sleep; it’s late. Eat a good breakfast.

Slow. Really think ahead. Avoid using the brakes whenever you can, coast to slow down. Small corrections.

Remember how to correct the car if you fishtail. Let off the gas. Do not break. Slowly move the steering wheel in the direction the back end is moving. If back end is going left, wheel to the left.

I was following (far behind) one vehicle fishtailing so badly driving down 40 and onto 147 earlier that I’m surprised they didn’t end up in the ditch.

Not a driving tip but…. bundle up really well or take a blanket with you and a flashlight. I know you said you only live 10 mins away but if you get stuck, have to leave your car, and walk either back home or to the gas station, it’ll be super cold. The flashlight so other cars can see you if you have to walk. Stay safe!!

I drive home late last night, about 9 when I left work (I would have left earlier…but some shoppers still needed milk sandwiches)

Had to take 540, and went slow and easy in the right lane, which most people were doing too. Could tell when some got comfortable and decided that my 40mph was too slow, and so tried to shoot past me…

Usually saw their tire tracks do a mean wiggle and then they’d be back in my lane going even slower than me haha

Thankfully didn’t see anyone in a ditch, but I could tell it was close for some speedy souled people

One thing I learned from living in Alberta: Winter tires are phenomenal.

People can barely drive here when the streets are clear

Lots of sketchy people on the road that have no business being out there!

Love a helpful guide for people

And if you do need to go out - clear the damn snow off your car and windows so you aren’t an additional hazard to everybody else.

Slowly, carefully, and with winter tires.

Leave LOTS of space from the car in front of you

Patience. Practise. Honestly, if you are nervous take lessons. There are places that will even take you on skid pads to see how to handle things. Many of us have been driving in winter since we were teens and didn’t really register risk. That gives us time to become accustomed to it. Winter tires help, but it has way way way more to do with technique, slowing down and anticipation. Also please clean the snow off your car. All of it. Not just the windows. Roof, mirrors, lights etc.

Winter tires (not all seasons) make a huge difference.

When driving you have to be really smooth - pretend you have something breakable on the passenger seat that you don't want to fall..... no sudden movements, gradually slow down before you need to turn, avoid slamming the breaks - when you need to stop do it very gradually and give yourself as much space from other cars as possible.

If the car does start drifting/sliding don't slam on the breaks even though that may be your first instinct - that will make it way worse. Take your foot off the gas and try to gently steer the car back to where you want to be.

In all but the worst weather, actually driving the way you're supposed to (like on your driving test) will keep you safe. Early and light braking, generous following distances, not speeding, etc.

Slowly and steadily. Imagine your car is full of open cups of pee and you don’t want them to spill.

Or not at all, like if it’s coming down hard and the roads aren’t plowed yet, better to just not if you don’t have to.

Leave space. Leave space to brake slow and smooth. Leave space to adjust if the person in front skids out.

Look where you want to go if you skid.

Foot off the gas is sometimes a better option, rather than just slamming the brakes right away.

Clean off your car with a brush and ice scraper. The top, too. Keep your scraper in your car.

Especially if you’re headed out of the city, pack a blanket, a shovel, some salt or sand, a candle, a flashlight, some water and snacks, jumper cables, and appropriate winter clothing.

Hold a giant heat lamp over your car until all snow has melted away gracefully. Repeat with every road you intend on driving on

With winter tires