Northwest readers offer advice to newcomers to avoid stupid snow tricks
Our readers on Facebook have some advice for snow newcomers: STAY HOME! SLOW DOWN!
While some said newcomers don’t have the patience, common sense, or courtesy, to drive in these conditions, others offered helpful advice:
▪ If you’re unsure of your driving skills or how well your car can do in the snow, take an Uber or taxi.
▪ If you have a hill or parallel parking to deal with, don’t even try it. If you don’t have all-wheel drive, don’t try it.
▪ Take your time! Keep an emergency kit in your car, flares, cat litter, flashlight, chains.
▪ If you are the slower driver and you have a line of cars behind you, please pull over and let the more confident drivers by.
▪ Sometimes roads are plowed down to one lane, and pulling over will get you stuck. Patience is more called for than supposed confidence in those situations.
▪ Pull your windshield wipers away from the windshield when you park so they do not freeze onto the windshield.
▪ Make sure your vehicle gas tank is full. Ice cleats for shoes or boots are a great way to walk safely in snow or ice. Stick to the well-traveled streets. Take your ice scraper/snow brush inside the house or work with you in a kit with other winter essentials such as mittens. That way you have them with you and don’t have to open the car door in order to retrieve them and get a car full of snow. Have some snacks in the bag too!
▪ The brick paths on WWU campus are super dicey when icy! Leave your cute shoes at home and wear something with good traction!
▪ If you need to drive in the snow or ice, follow the bus routes — they’re the first ones to get de-iced and plowed. Also, leave a little later if you work a day shift. By 8:30 a.m. the main roads are in pretty good shape.
▪ A credit card works Well for scraping ice off glass.
▪ Don’t use your wipers with frozen snow on the windshield. My first winter here was last year and I stripped one of my wipers out trying to clear the snow with them.
▪ Tap your breaks — don’t slam and hold them. When stuck, move wheels back and forth as hard as you can, and at normal speed. This helps going uphill also. Often punching the gas will dig you deeper into snow. If roads seem impassable, they probably are, even if you have four-wheel drive.
▪ If you must drive, remove all snow from your windows and mirrors before driving.
▪ I also have a windshield cover if I’m going to park outside.
▪ Don’t just follow red and green lights, look both ways before proceeding, someone like you might be driving also.
▪ Take the bus and leave the driving to the pros and those with lots of experience
▪ Don’t over-correct or slam on the brakes if you start sliding. Turn into the slide.
▪ Don’t get so close to my bumper. Give me room.
▪ Get winter tires.
▪ When you clean the snow off your windows remember to clean the rest, too. It’s illegal to drive with snow on your car. It can be dangerous to other drivers, especially on the highways
And they threw in some advice for overconfident northwest drivers, too:
▪ If someone is driving slower for the conditions don’t be the jerk that tailgates them. They’re driving slower for a reason.
Have other ideas for people new to snow in the northwest? Add your comments to our Facebook pages.
