Winter driving safety

It won’t be long before winter is upon us again, creating often-challenging driving and road conditions. In this article, we’ll share some tips for driving in these conditions, dispel a few myths and remind everyone of some ways to safely negotiate while driving resource roads and highways.

Winter driving requires the same safety attitude as it does when driving in any other season. Right from the outset, it’s important to approach any driving activity in a methodical and considered manner following safe operating protocols set out by your company and WorkSafeBC. As a driver, you need to take responsibility for your vehicle, its occupants, its load, other road users and the environment - no matter the driving task or season.

Winter brings unique challenges including cold temperatures, fewer daylight hours, more challenging conditions for the vehicle’s mechanics, less traction, longer stopping distances, less distance travelled due to slower speeds, equipment requirements such as chains and so on. These challenges are not the only limits to winter driving but should be highly considered as we approach the winter season.

Preparation

There are several considerations to take into account when preparing for winter driving. Not only should vehicles be equipped and ready to handle winter conditions, but companies and individuals should also prepare themselves. Winter brings fewer daylight hours and often that means vehicles are operating in reduced visibility with poor, dark conditions. This can lead to greater fatigue which ultimately can affect the safety of the driver, other road users and impact production efficiency. A good safety culture and operational planning will take adverse conditions, like reduced daylight hours, into consideration providing more time for journeys and operations with the aim of reducing fatigue and the stress of trying to maintain targets that may be challenging during winter conditions.

Preparation Tips:

Ensure your vehicle is properly equipped for winter conditions which will vary depending on your location.

Consider the following:

• Correct temperature-rated oils, fuels, lubricants, coolants, fluids and windshield washes.
• Supply of de-icers and windshield scrapers.
• Cleaning supplies for lights, windows and licence plates • Winter emergency supplies such as water, food, blankets, etc. for more remote journeys.
• More scheduled oil changes and vehicle service maintenance.
• Correct winter tires.
• Correct size chains and traction aids.
• Good working battery.

Safety

When operating in remote locations, especially in winter, it is worth considering the risk factor and whether a journey is necessary at that moment.

Before you go, ask these questions:

• What is the weather forecast?
• How are the road conditions?
• What are the avalanche conditions?
• Have the roads been plowed / maintained?
• What is the driver’s experience level for the conditions ahead?
• Should the driver travel alone?
• Should we send two drivers?
• Can the load be lighter?

Many operations that work in mountainous winter conditions enact protocols for lone drivers that require shorter check-in durations, GPS tracking, further driver training, a higher degree of experience, satellite communications, cold weather gear and equipment etc. These safety protocols ensure workers are as safe as possible during the journey and during work operations occurring in more exposed weather conditions such as cold temperatures and snow fall. The environment workers are being placed into should be a vital consideration and adapting plans and operational procedures will assist in keeping them safe on their journey. The reality is, if environmental conditions make it harder for workers or an operation to travel, it also makes it harder for Emergency Transport Vehicles and other rescue services to travel as well.

Tires and traction

Using the correct seasonal tires is extremely important. When winter conditions are upon us, vehicles should be equipped to handle driving conditions. Using winter tires or studded tires/chains is imperative. Regular all-season, mud-terrains and all-terrains are not specifically designed to operate in colder conditions, typically below 7 Celsius. The compounds in these tires have far less ability to provide traction on colder surfaces; they stiffen and have less capability to mold to the ground and provide the traction needed. When considering the weight distribution of the entire vehicle is spread amongst four contact patches (the part of the rubber contacting the ground), there is actually very little surface area for the vehicle to gain traction and control. The rubber compounds in winter tires are built for colder temperatures and more difficult road conditions and it is important to use the correct ones. Consider this data: at 30km/h a winter tire will stop 6m shorter on loose snow and 9m shorter on ice than non-winter specific tires. Those numbers increase exponentially with speed. Studded tires can be a great solution but are more suited to compact snow, iced snow and ice.

Tire chains are one of the best solutions in industry and for those travelling regularly in winter conditions. They do come with challenges though and good training in tire chaining is essential for safety.

When it comes to chains, consider the following:

• V-bar ladder-style chains often seem to be the best, most durable and most effective. However, they are heavy and more expensive.
• Four is better than two and frankly a must. If you only have two, consider where you should put them – on the rear for climbing hill (for drive traction)? on the front for descending (to aid steering and braking)? The challenge of making that choice is that terrain always changes and by not having four chains, or only using two, there may be loss of traction when you need it most. For example, chains on the front tires will cause the rear of the vehicle to break traction and spin around, fast. Two chains on the rear tires can greatly reduce steering and stopping distances.
• Ensure the chains are the correct size for your tires.
• Ensure chains are installed correctly. Secure extra chain and ensure there is no conflict with brake lines, axles, wheel speed sensors and so on.
• When driving with chains, drive slower and don’t manoeuvre as tightly or at least try and have the vehicle moving slowly when steering.

Driving

In winter driving, conditions change quickly and we need to adapt our driving style to suit them. A key aspect in adapting to winter conditions is driving slower than we normally do. Levels of traction can change very quickly, our stopping distances are increased and our ability to react in an emergency situation can be dramatically affected. As a driver, we need to look even further ahead, braking sooner when negotiating the roadway, being smoother and gentler on applying the brakes and throttle to avoid any kind of wheel spin or slide. It is good technique to slow the vehicle down well before entering a corner so the weight of the vehicle is distributed more evenly across the four tires, giving it more overall traction. Braking in a corner loads the front tires with more weight, which means a greater chance of traction loss and control in winter conditions. The same can be said with accelerating. Wait until you are clear of the corner to avoid tire spin and oversteering / understeering.

Roadway positioning is an important consideration while driving in winter conditions. Think about the camber / pitch of a road and where your vehicle might deviate in poorer conditions. When travelling straight, the flatter the vehicle the better, and on a corner, a little correct (not adverse) camber can help negotiate the corner.

Other road users are also important to think about while travelling. Evaluate oncoming vehicles, the vehicles in front and behind you and at intersections and act appropriately to give them space as necessary and to allow them to stop and negotiate terrain in relation to their size and weight.

Four wheel drive and traction Control, ABS and other aids

The conversation around using four-wheel drive or staying in two-wheel drive is very common. In a nutshell, any time you are travelling on a surface with lower traction, you should have your vehicle in four-wheel drive.

High or low range depends on how steep or complex the terrain is. Low range is for deep snow, steep terrain and where you require greater control allowed by the lower speeds in low range. There is a common misconception that four-wheel drive is tough on the vehicle and doesn’t allow as much control.

Modern vehicles are designed to operate in four-wheel drive in all conditions, at most speeds, other than on good traction surfaces such as pavement. The modern drivetrain is built to handle these conditions. By using four-wheel drive, you have all four tires providing traction to propel you AND more importantly, four wheels slowing you when using the transmission correctly to slow you down or descend grades.

Another misconception is that Traction Control and ABS (Anti-Lock Braking System) are not good systems. To the contrary, they will far outperform any human in terms of dynamics and effectiveness when propelling or slowing a vehicle.

Traction Control is a system designed to redistribute drive torque to tires with better traction than those that maybe starting to spin. When you have mastered its use in your vehicle, it is a brilliant tool. ABS will slow you far faster than cadence or on / off (pumping) braking manipulated by your foot.

ABS actually achieves the same outcome but at a far faster rate, and as modern vehicle technology improves, so do these systems. ABS essentially eases up on individual brakes if it senses loss of traction, allowing the tire to rotate again and regain traction before re-applying brake force. This happens hundreds of times a second. ABS can also assist with steering under heavy braking by modulating brake force across each brake independently depending on steering direction input.

One important feature that many light trucks and four-wheel drive vehicles are equipped with is a locking differential. This mechanical device, usually locking the rear axle as one, can allow for more traction. However, it is important to understand and use this only in straight lines, in deep rough terrain and only when needed, and PRIOR to the moment you might need it. Driving with the differential locked on a winter road as a matter of common procedure can be very dangerous as it dramatically reduces steering capability in low traction environments. Only use it when needed!

Hazards

Winter driving and summer driving have similar hazards but with their own characteristics that need to be managed.

Such hazards may include, but are not limited to:

• Terrain, camber, steep hill grades, reduced sight line distance from snow encased trees or full foliage trees.
• Frost lines in corners / shadows.
• Low sun level causing potential blinding.
• Avalanche or slide paths.
• Sudden warming, run off, softening of road surface, pooling of water.
• Blinding from oncoming lights and glare of snow / ice.
• Lack of visibility in snowstorms, snow or flying debris, or dust clouds behind vehicles.
• Less traction, longer stopping distances.
• Less experienced road users.
• Debris falling from other vehicles (ice accumulation or mud on mud flaps, etc.).

Other considerations

Whenever you drive, an important reminder is to ensure pre & post-trip vehicle inspections are thorough and should include any additional equipment and/or supplies necessary for winter driving conditions or any conditions with challenging conditions. Take into consideration the load you are transporting. If conditions are severely adverse, distribute the load across more units to lighten it which will allow for shorter stopping distances and more chance of success on variable grades.

Lastly, as with any skill, good driver education and prior planning is recommended for a successful trip.

Article original publication

BC Forest Safety Council, Forest Safety News, September 2020.