“TOOL BOX”

SAFETY MEETING

WINTERIZING THE DRIVER

MAIN POINTS

It’s that time of year again. If you haven’t already done so, it’s time for the tune-up of
your vehicle in preparation for winter. But once the engine is all babied up and you have
your winter tires on, what’s left on the list of things to do for winterization? The last step
is by far the most important. Let’s discuss winterizing the Driver.

Driving hazards are by far one of the most threatening circumstances anyone can be
faced with. Let me prove the point. How many people have been in a collision or have
known someone close to you who have been. Show of hands. Keep those hands up
and look around the room. This is something we all have had a run in with. Winter is by
far the most dangerous of all seasons and will contribute to the majority of collisions in
the year.

There are four factors which will contribute to the high number of winter collisions. Let’s
look at all four and resolve the problems surrounding them.

1. INSUFFICIENT FOLLOWING DISTANCE

On average the time to stop a vehicle will average about 3 – 5 seconds. We need to
make provision to allow us enough time to stop that vehicle within that time frame. In
order to do this we need sufficient following distance. This following time will increase as
road conditions worsen, so you have to account for that (3 –5 seconds is not sufficient
on black ice). A good idea before you get out on the roads is to check the road for slips.
This can be accomplished by trying a brake on your street. Remember that the side
streets will be less groomed than the main roads so if you adjust your driving habits at
the start, you’ll be driving more proactively on the main roads where you’re most likely
to be involved in a collision. If you try braking at 10 km/hr and you slide, you should
expect to allow more following distance.

How do we gauge 3 – 5 seconds? While you are driving, pick a stationary object on the
side of the road. Once you pass it, start counting 1-2-3-4-5 seconds and then check
your mirrors to spot that object you just past. That becomes your point of reference for
following distance.

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2. INSUFFICIENT BRAKING DISTANCE

This is actually part of point one and is built into the 3 – 5 seconds to completely stop
your vehicle. Remember that following distance is useless if you don’t use a major part
of it to complete your stop. Here is the breakdown of how to use the following distance:

 1 second to realize there is a problem

 1 second to move foot onto the brake and begin to apply pressure
 3 seconds (approximately) to bring vehicle safely to a stop

You can see that braking must come early in the process to be effective. These are
conservative numbers so if they allow more distance, that is only better for you.

3. EXCESSIVE SPEED

Let’s get rid of an erroneous idea before we address excessive speed. True or False:
Posted speed limits are for all driving conditions? False. They are posted for IDEAL
driving conditions. It follows then that when road conditions are not ideal (i.e.: winter),
we must reduce our speed BELOW the posted limit. For any 4 x 4 lovers, remember
your vehicle can flip just as easily as any average car under the right conditions. Don’t
get lulled into a false sense of security that because you have a better equipped vehicle
that you are impervious to collisions. The vehicle is only as good as the person driving
it. Having said that, there is no black and white answer as to how much below the
posted limits you should drive. On average, if you have slippery conditions, it is not too
outrageous to lower your speed by 10 to 15km/hr. If you have gusting winds or heavy
snow conditions, you will lower it more, sometimes as much as 20 to 30 km/hr lower
especially on the 100km/hr zones. For the sake of repetition, side or residential roads
are less groomed and sanded than main roads, so even though the speed limit is less,
the margin for collisions can be just as high if you don’t reduce your speed there too.

4. POOR VISIBILITY

Poor visibility rears its ugly head in two forms. The weather (which you can’t control)
and the pre-driving preparation, which you can control. We can curse the weather till
we’re blue in the face but it won’t stop the snow or freezing rain, so all you can do is
slow it down a notch. But having a windshield and mirrors you can see out of, that is in
your control. Take the time to clean the vehicle off; and make sure you clean all of it off,
including the roof and lights. Scrape all ice off every window and let the vehicle have
time to warm both for the sake of your engine and to prevent “fog-up” from happening
on your inside windshield when you hop in. You do this not only for yourself but also for
the poor guy behind you who is in the wake of the snowstorm coming off the roof, trunk
and back bumper of your vehicle. Remember that if you brake and the person behind

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you can’t see you, they will probably hit you because you have, in some cases, caused
a “white-out” condition for them.

5. “9 AND 3” HAND POSITION

The preceding 4 points will prevent most emergency situations from ever happening in
the first place. Although prevention is the preferred direction we should pursue when we
drive, situations do come up which require quick actions on our part to avoid a collision.
The surest way to ensure quick reaction is to use proper hand position on the steering
wheel.

Let's face it, Professional RaceCar Drivers can't be wrong. They require absolute control
of their vehicle at all times and they hold their steering wheels in a manner that allows
them to accomplish this. Applying that same philosophy, the preferred steering wheel
grip is the 9 and 3 hand position, which will provide you the surest way of controlling
your vehicle and maneuvering yourself out of a potential collision. 9 - 3 allows you 180º
lateral movement of your vehicle left or right without ever taking your hands off the
wheel. This is critical when your vehicle is slipping on ice because if you rely on a
steering position that requires you to take your hands off the wheel, you may lose your
bearing on which way the vehicle's tires are turned.

There is an old saying "If your vehicle begins to skid, steer in the same direction as the
back end of the car to counter the spin" (?????). Although, true, this is highly confusing
when you are in the middle of a crisis on ice. Instead, remember this:

"Turn your wheel in the direction you want the car to go" <repeat this>

If you're losing control of the vehicle and the front end starts going left, steer right. When
the front-end starts going right again, steer left. Keep doing this until the vehicle
straightens out minimizing the amount of turn on the wheel each time to slow down the
momentum. If you have both hands on the wheel at 9 -3, you will always know which
direction your wheel is turned and you will have no problem implementing this
emergency move. This final step enforces the point that "your life is literally in your
hands" - with both hands on the steering wheel at the 9 -3 hand position.

It may seem like common sense to discuss these points but when we get in a hurry or
become wrapped up in our own bad habits, it’s easy for common sense to get thrown
out the window when it comes to driving. Winter conditions only compound the issue
and reveal how many cautions we need to take in order to achieve safe driving.

DISCUSSION

 Any comments on what we have discussed so far?

 Any announcements?

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