Heavy snowfall causing trouble for drivers in many hilly areas: How to drive safe in snow?

Winter brings picturesque snowfall, transforming the world into a winter wonderland. When it is the holidays of Christmas and New Year, many people opt for road trips and often to the places where snowfalls take place. However, the beauty of snow also often becomes a major challenge for the drivers driving cars in hills, as the snow leads to hazardous driving conditions. Driving a car in snow requires specific techniques to ensure safety, not only for the particular driver but for fellow drivers on the road as well.

During snowfall and the peak winter season, driving in hills often becomes tricky due to low visibility and black ice formation. Not paying attention to the road and not following basic driving tips could result in fatal accidents in such conditions.

Here are some key tips to make sure your driving experience in hills during snowfall remains safe and pleasant.

Drive smooth

The key to safe driving in hills is smooth and easy driving, which is more applicable during snowfall. Being smooth with the steering wheel, accelerator and brakes is essential to ensure safe driving in hills during snowfall. Sudden manoeuvres, acceleration or braking could result in the tyres losing their grips on the slippery road, leading to the car losing its control. Hence, every turn on the wheel, push on the brakes and acceleration move must be gentle and gradual.

Drive FWD cars judiciously

If you are driving a front-wheel-drive (FWD) car in the hills during snowfall, make every decision wisely. FWD cars usually perform better in snow compared to rear-wheel-drive (RWD) cars, as the weight of the engine over the front wheels offers better traction. However, the FWD cars too can lose traction on icy or snowy roads, which could be dangerous on a hill. Hence, avoid sudden acceleration, braking or sharp turns. Always use gentle and gradual pressure on the accelerator and brake pedals to keep control of the car.

Use snow tyres

If you keep driving in hills during winter or it is in your routine, investing in snow tyres is a good decision, which not only allows better manoeuvrability but enhances driving safety on snowy roads. The snow tyres come with a unique tread pattern and rubber compound designed to offer better grip on slippery surfaces. They ensure better traction and reduce the chances of skidding.

Deflate tyres a bit

In case your car doesn't have snow tyres and you are stuck in a region where icy or snowy roads are making driving challenging, tyre deflating the tyres a bit, can improve traction by creating a larger contact patch between the road surface and the tyres. But, this has the risk of compromised handling and braking performance as well. This should only be done in deep snow situations and requires careful driving practices.

Use fog lamps

The fog lamps are highly useful in snowy conditions as the visibility gets reduced in such situations. The fog lamps with yellow tones ensure slightly better visibility. They not only enhance the visibility of the driver but for other vehicles coming from opposite directions as well. While many people opt for white fog lamps, those tend to be ineffective in rain or snowy situations as the white light is not as effective as yellow ones in low visibility conditions.

Use horns and indicators

Using horns and indicators judiciously is a key step to ensure safe driving in hills, especially where there are bends posing blindspots and visibility is low due to snowfalls. Using horns before any bends, and indicators before turns ensure safety for you as well as other fellow drivers.

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