NORTHEAST OHIO — Snow makes for a beautiful winter scene, but it also creates messy, slick, and icy roads.
Skidding, spin-outs and rear-end crashes are common this time of year. Drive Team Akron's Drew Salyer said each one is preventable.
"Where we live, we are going to lose traction at some point in time," Salyer said.
Salyer said preventing those winter-time crashes boils down to three tips:
- Let up on the gas pedal when skidding
- Keep your eyes in the direction you want to go
- Always allow extra space between you and other vehicles
"If we just give ourselves more time and space, we can see more, " he said. "We can react earlier, so we then minimize those chances of having loss of control or that skid."
Some smaller driving habits can help you out, too. Reaction time can make a difference in keeping control of your vehicle. Countersteering and other skills may not matter if reaction time is not immediate.
Driving at a lower speed will also help out on snowy and icy days. Traction and reaction times only improve at slower speeds.
Practicing these skills in the winter and beyond will protect you and others on the road.
"We just have to make sure that people get home to the people that they love every night," Sayler said.
