Now we're at a weird part of the driving season, it's not really winter and spring is only beginning to push its way through the still partially frozen weather like the first flowers are beginning to push their way through the frozen earth. It's a time of year when you have to be very careful driving.


Shouldn't This Be A Year-Round Theme?

In all honesty, yes, this should be a year-round theme as driving safety isn't just the province of one season or another, but for one reason or another - maybe people are trying to rush summer - drivers are beginning to act as if they forget their vehicles can do nasty things to people. It only takes a minute of inattention.

No, we're not talking about texting, either or using a cellphone without a hands-free device, two of the more honestly stupid things drivers can do, we're talking about the inattention that will put one or more of your wheels on an unswept part of the road that's still covered with sand and then trying to turn out of an unfolding incident.

Sand and Snow: About The Same Traction Properties

It's an interesting quandary, isn't it that while sand can keep you safe on snowy and icy days, when the weather turns your sandy friend can become your enemy. The reason, quite simply, is the way sand works. Sand is never uniform, whether you know it or not. Although a pile of sand may look solid enough hitting your brakes on the surface causes the following:

The ABS and traction control kick in trying to shift traction to the wheels with the best grip on the road, however if the patch is large enough, which it usually is, all your wheels are doing is briefly locking and unlocking as ABS pumps the brakes, causing the tread to slide along the surface layer of sand.

The traction control then moves the power to the wheels with the best grip and this means that the wheels begin to dig into the sliding layers of sand looking for traction (sand slides in layers first the top, then the layers underneath all the way to the street)

The ABS and traction control, being unable to establish any sort of meaningful relationship with the slippery stuff underneath, actually put your car more in harm's way because they cannot establish the traction they need and, if your car is front drive, by now you're noticing that there's one thing about front-drive cars that no one ever tells you, you can't turn out of a skid. You just go straight because the majority of weight is over the front end.

The result of all of this is a skid that will leave you babbling to yourself all day long, if you manage to stop your car in time. If not, you'll likely either roll or hit something or, if you're lucky just go off into a ditch and be okay.

It's not that we don't like the safety that anti-lock braking (ABS) has brought on when you are stopping in a straight line on a dry surface (it's great for that) and it's not that we don't like the safety addition of traction control moving power around, it's just that when they were developed someone seems to have left out the real world.

Real World Hazards

As noted, those real world hazards include:

Sand
Mud
Late season slippery patches
Oil that's worked into the road surface
The fact that front-drive vehicles go where they are pointed

What Can You Do?

So what can you do if you run into a situation like this - braking, sand, skid? The first thing is get off the gas and stay off the brake, let the car slow itself. If you haven't the time to do this, then try to find a curb and scuff off extra speed by using your wheels as brakes. Yes, you will lose your wheels and tires, but you'll stop.

If you do skid, steer in the direction of the skid - you determine this by figuring which way the rear is braking and steering in that direction because that's the real way your car is skidding. If not, try to ensure your front end points in the same direction, but again, stay off the brakes and gas.


Article Source: eZine Articles