Remember, Lubbock: You Should NEVER do This in Icy Conditions

Lubbock, Texas became a winter wonderland this weekend and many of us were excited to finally build a snowman, sip on hot chocolate, and enjoy a snowy day in.

While it is all fun and games when the snow is fresh and powdery, it quickly becomes a rough time when the snow melts in the afternoon, before refreezing that evening, and turning the world into an ice rink. At least that is typically how it goes here in West Texas.

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We are then left with slick roads that aren’t much of a problem for a smart driver. It’s the fools that have no survival skills that become a hazard for the rest of us.

Hazardous Drivers

I’m specifically talking about the people that decide the best thing for them to do the moment they hit an icy patch, is slam on their breaks. Even with no one in front of them and no reason to have to slow down, they somehow think that is a good idea.

I don’t know about you, but one of the very first things I learned about driving in icy conditions is to avoid suddenly breaking. It’ll cause you to lose traction and potentially lose control of your vehicle.

What You Should Do

When you hit ice, you should let off of the accelerator, don’t touch your breaks, keep your steering wheel straight, and glide through.

If you have to slow down in icy conditions (you should already be going much slower than usual), you should let of the accelerator and let your car slow down as much as you can naturally before very lightly adding pressure to your brake pedal, maintaining traction until you can come to a complete stop. Never try to slam on the brakes and assume you will safely stop.