Winter Driving Tips

After my previous blog on Utah Drivers, I've been reminded that with Winter rapidly falling upon us, many people in Provo will be driving in snowy or icy conditions which they're not used to.  In the interest of a preventing a few accidents, I've decided to publish Yellow's Winter Driving Manifesto:

• Traction is your most important asset.  Always know how much traction you're getting.  Without traction, you have absolutely no control.  You can usually tell how much traction you're getting by tapping your gas pedal for just a moment.  If you don't jerk forward, you don't have as much traction.
• When driving in icy conditions, do everything you can to preserve your traction.  If you need to slow down, do so gradually so that your tires are still moving with the road.  As soon as your tires are sliding along the ice instead of rolling, you've lost your traction and your motion is suddenly ready for analysis by Physics 121 students who love frictionless surfaces.  This is why you need to allow a longer time for stopping; not because you need time to skid to a stop, but because you need time in order not to skid to a stop.
• If you're trying to get up an icy hill, putting the gas to the floor will not help.  You're only spinning your tires on the ice, making an even more polished spot of ice for your car to work with.  Do what you can to build up momentum, and then keep your tires moving with the road.
• When attempting to turn onto an uphill road, you may need to make a wider turn than normal to avoid getting stuck.  If there are tracks in the road from other cars, make it your goal to get there as soon as possible.

Good luck with finals, everyone!