Stay safe driving this winter

Long drives along the open road are a way of life for rural Iowans, and in the winter, that way of life becomes significantly more dangerous.

“If you go 10 minutes in difficult conditions and you can’t see and it is slippery you’re 3 or 4 times more exhausted than if you do it in normal road conditions,” Open Road Driving Owner Jenny Turner said.

While driving in inclement weather, more energy is exerted on holding the steering wheel more firmly, watching for possible danger, and gauging other drivers’ behaviors.

“We always tell our students to control what they can control,” Turner said.

So, what can you control?

“There is no reason you cannot control your following distance,” Turner said. “A normal following distance is about three seconds, but if you’re in any kind of weather, you’ve got to double it.”

Turner also reminds drivers that they are in control of their speed.

“The basic speed law in Iowa is that you cannot drive faster than the conditions allow,” Turner said. “If the speed limit is 65 miles per hour and it is snowing, you can still get a ticket for driving 65 if it isn’t safe for the conditions.”

“Nobody is making you put your big hoof on that gas coming up on that vehicle,” she said.

The Iowa DOT agrees and states in educational material concerning winter driving, “Always maintain a reasonable speed and safe following distance from the vehicle in front of you. Winter road conditions often result in longer stopping distances and reduced visibility. Drive below the posted speed limit when road conditions are less than ideal. Speed limits are intended for normal pavement conditions.”

“It really stinks when you really want to pass somebody,” Turner said. “The right lane has more friction, though.”

Defensive driving techniques are also in a driver’s control.

“When you’re driving and you come across black ice and begin to slide, you should not slam on your brakes,” Open Road Co-Owner Ryan Turner said.

“Ice is always harder than snow,” Jenny Turner said. “It gets dark and it gets cold and now the snow is dirty and you can’t see it or the ice.”

According to Jenny Turner, Threshold braking is used to keep your car’s brakes from locking-up and completely stopping your wheels.

“I like to tell the kids that the anti-brake lock system is like the Diet Coke version of threshold breaking,” she said.

Additionally, drivers are encouraged to steer carefully.

“You should not oversteer,” Ryan Turner said. “You should gradually steer in the direction your vehicle is going.”

The driving instructing couple also encourage exercising extra caution around bridges and semi-trucks.

“Bridges are the first to freeze and the last to thaw,” Jenny Turner said.

“Stay patient, keep up that following distance and know that you can’t slam on the breaks or pull on your wheel,” she said. “We really think the things you can control, are what you need to control.”

Comments: AnnaMarie.Ward@southeastiowaunion.com