Yesterday would have been a good day to run errands. There was no snow and the roads were clear. But yesterday I got the kids off to school and went back to bed because I was hoping to feel better when I woke up. I really wanted to plunge deep into sleep and wake up refreshed. Instead I skipped from dream to dream across the surface of sleep until I dragged myself out of bed on the other side of two hours. The rest of the day was better, if not exactly bouncy.
Today, not so good a day to run errands. Unfortunately many of the errands had reached urgent status. So I spent 90 minutes sliding my van across snow packed streets to get things done. Snow driving requires far more attention than regular driving. It also requires me to adjust my instinctive reactions to driving stimuli. I need to remember that when the brake pedal jitters, pushes back, and makes a grinding noise, that means the van is skidding and the anti-lock brakes are trying to help, rather than AGGH! Brake Failure! The correct response is to ease up and pump the brakes, not to smash the brake pedal harder. After 90 minutes of practice I think I’ve trained myself to remember that. Also using empty roads to practice skid management is a good idea. This way when I skid on a crowded road I can remain calm and I know what to do. Sledding down a clear hill on a sled is fun. Sledding down a hill in a van with obstacles to avoid, not so fun. Also, I don’t like ice that freezes to the windshield wipers. Never hurry while driving in snow. Hurrying in snow ends with CRUNCH. No crunch today. Yay.
Next up, the joys of snow removal.
I’m from Florida and will be driving in Colorado this holiday season. In doing my research on driving in the snow, I’ve seen several recommendations to never pump the brakes when you’ve got anti-lock brakes. That’s what the anti-lock brakes are doing for you, much faster than humanly possible.
That being said, I’m still not any happier about driving on snow, ABS or not. As a native floridian, the whole thing seems wrong 😉
If you have ABS, and it’s working, let it get on with it. That’s what it’s there for.
Before we had ABS, we used to do “cadence braking”, which is basically what you say, come off the brakes and apply them with a rapid pulsing action. This gives you more chance of retaining control by reducing the amount of time that the wheels are locked up, since a locked wheel won’t steer, btu it only applies to something without ABS.
ABS detects that one (or more) wheels are turning slower than the rest, and pulses the brake on that wheel. It does this much faster and better than 99% of drivers could ever do by cadence braking, and more, it delivers the maximum braking you can get by doing different stuff with each wheel (N.B. some vehicles, especially older systems, treat both rear wheels as one). So, provided the system’s working, it can do much better than any normal human being. The trick is to learn to let it.
That said, you should only brake harder if the amount of braking you’re getting isn’t enough – otherwise, just keep a steady pressure. It’s also worth noting, esepcially on a manual transmission (or “stick” as you call it :-)) you shouldn’t engage a really low gear on an ABS-equipped car – doing so creates a lot of engine braking and can make it skid. Again, let the ABS do what it’s designed for.
The one golden rule, as you rightly say, is don’t hurry, even in a 4×4 you still have to stop… and no matter how you look at it, snow and even more so ice is slippery, and all the ABS or clever driving in the world can’t make more grip.
That’s interesting and it makes sense. Unfortunately pumping the brakes is psychologically more satisfying because it feels like I’m actually doing something about the skid rather than being reduced to pressing the brakes and praying they’ll stop me in time.
Someone who knows they don’t know snow driving is less at risk than someone who thinks they know snow driving because the non-snow-driver is more likely to be cautious. You’ll do fine.
I see the logic in trusting the ABS. But it is hard to fight the panic of “These brakes aren’t working right!” I’m much happier when I pump the brakes because I have an illusion of control. A creature of logic, I am not.
I’d just like to say that I hate snow.
And I landed in SLC on monday. 😛
Welcome to the Great State of Utah!
I hope you enjoy your stay. If you make it down to Provo at all, stop by Dragon’s Keep on Friday night and I’ll throw down a sketch for you. 🙂
I’m flying back tonight, unfortunately.
I’m out every six weeks or so for business, but it’s always the beginning of the week. I keep hoping for an end of the week so I can get down there. 😉