It’s Winter Weather Awareness week, and Wisconsin winters pose a challenge to everyone living in this great state, from the cold weather to the treacherous driving conditions. But, we all know how to drive in this, right?
Do we though? We’ve all seen it, especially in the beginning of the season- spin-outs, fishtails and spinning tires. Wisconsinites pride themselves in being able to drive in sloppy weather, but from what I see, anecdotally at least, that is NOT the case.
Well there’s a place you can actually put your winter driving to the test. It’s the Winter Driving School at Road America. I spoke to one of the driving instructors at Road America, John Ewert, to find out what he’s been seeing.
He says it’s hard to switch gears, especially with such a long, warm autumn.
“It does take a little bit of a transition from the summer months into the fall months into the winter months, and we encourage people to be aware of that and drive a little bit more carefully, if there’s different road conditions,” says Ewert.
And it’s hard not to rely on some of the new bells and whistles on our cars.
“Four wheel drive and all wheel drive, even traction control in vehicles creates an over-confidence with drivers. And in reality, four wheel drive is used for off-road driving, not necessarily snow and ice. It helps you get out of sticky situations when you’re off the beaten path. But it doesn’t allow you any more traction when you’re on the roadway,” explains Ewert.
Interested in taking one of their courses? Check them out here. (https://www.roadamerica.com/winter-driving)
But even before getting behind the wheel there are a few steps you want to take to make sure you’re ready to hit the road, no matter what the conditions are.
The DOT’s Freeway Operations Engineer Elizabeth Schneider has her top five suggestions, you can follow well, “Before you head out on the road to make sure your vehicle is ready, your tires are properly inflated. But also if you’ve been parked outside, clear, the snow from your windows, even your lights, your headlights, your tail lights. Know before you go, use 511WI.gov, you can check 511 before you hit the road. Pack, an emergency kit. Give yourself a lot of space to break. I say number five, If it’s not really safe to drive, maybe prioritize your travel stay and home. If you can, only travel when necessary if it’s really hazardous.”
And then speaking with Captain Bradley Ocain with the State Patrol, he suggests, “Living in Wisconsin, I think everyone’s aware that whenever we have snow, ice, rain this time of year, that road conditions can quickly deteriorate. When they are experiencing those kind of conditions, the first, and probably the most important thing that they can do is the reduce their speed, and with that, their following distance.”
Are you catching the reoccurring, theme here? It comes down to staying in control, keep your speeds down on the worst of conditions, extend your braking distance and packing some patience whenever you get behind the wheel would be a good idea.
