Chicago Weekend Fun!

Chicago got about 3 inches of snow Tuesday Evening 12/4 and Wednesday Morning as well as another sprinkling of snow this afternoon. Now the weather forecast is saying that tomorrow Thursday 12/6 will include some flurries and there will be more substantial snow on Friday and Saturday. I don’t know about you, but I have a date and a christmas party to go to this weekend and the snow is going to complicate getting to all of it.

Some tips for driving in snow:

1. Drive 10 MPH slower that you would normally (seriously).

2. Brake while going straight and before you have to turn or go around a curve or corner.  Turning and barking can’t be done at the same time on snow ice or any slick surface, you will loose it and skid off the road.

3. Lift off the brake and let your car crawl slowly out of snow on its own rather than giving it gas to accelerate and burying the tires in a drift. Automatic transmission front wheel drive cars are best for this. If you have a rear wheel or manual transmission car this is harder.

4. Always carry a small shovel, some salt and an ice scraper/brush in your car to dig it out if you need to. Extra dry boots and gloves are also helpful if you’re digging out a car and get all cold and wet from the snow.

5. Get new tires if they are bald or low on tread before winter starts. This makes a huge difference in the grip your car gets on the ice, snow and wet road.

6. Always counter slides with a turn of the wheel in the opposite direction and let off the gas. Braking hard may make you slide more even with ABS and Traction Control. Just let off the gas and counter the slide and the car should come back to neutral straight if it isn’t too fast or slick.

Chicago driving is always a challenge. Best of luck to you in driving in the snow, ice, sleet and rain this winter. Please be careful and take your time getting to where you are going this season.

(map courtesy of weather net)