Practice Can Help Prevent Slip Slidin’ Away

Learning to drive in bad weather takes practice.

Lots and lots of practice.

Spokane driving experts say there is no single key that prepares a new driver to maneuver in deep snow or on black ice.

“We tell our students they may have the skills, good reaction time and good vision, but you build experience gradually,” said Ted Davies, a traffic safety education teacher at Rogers High School. “We think beginning drivers need five years’ experience just to become average American drivers.”

After spending time in the classroom and in a simulator, Spokane School District 81 students hit the road, Davies said.

Current weather conditions provide excellent real-life experience, he said. And each semester, students get a turn in the “skidmonster,” which simulates driving on black ice.

Parents should supplement driving classes at school with several 30-minute driving lessons, Davies said. He recommends shorter lessons, each focusing on one or two skills, rather than one long session.

Ed Sharman of the Inland Automobile Association said taking new drivers to an empty parking lot is a great way to initiate a young driver to bad weather conditions.

“See what the car does when you slam on the brakes or turn abruptly,” Sharman said. “Practice turning, stopping, starting and getting stuck.”

The experts offered several pointers all drivers should remember when roads are in poor condition:

Slow down - waaaaay down.

Leave more space than usual between your car and the one in front.

Don’t do anything suddenly. Do everything gradually - changing lanes, braking, accelerating.

Turn the steering wheel in the direction you want the car to go if you start to slide.

Anticipate. Look down the road at what’s coming up 12 to 15 seconds ahead. For example, if a traffic signal ahead of you is about to turn red, slow your car to avoid having to come to an abrupt stop.

Be aware of distractions. New drivers should avoid carrying passengers when they’re learning to drive, particularly in bad weather.

All the pointers in the world are no replacement for driving the open road, Sharman cautioned. “Reading about it is great, but there’s no reality there. Real-life experience - I guess that’s the best way.”

Reader’s question

When the city revamped the intersection at Indiana and Monroe, why didn’t it install a left-hand-turn signal?

Answer

Giving drivers who are turning left a break comes at a cost to drivers moving in other directions, said Spokane traffic engineer Don Ramsey.

“When it’s green for those going left, it’s not green for other drivers,” Ramsey said. “There’s always a cost for providing left-turn phasing.”

Traffic studies showed no urgent need for a left-turn signal, but the city didn’t rule out installing one in the future, Ramsey said. In fact, it has installed the hardware required to add one.

Travel tips for your pet

In its winter newsletter, the Spokane County animal shelter offers a few tips for people planning to travel by plane with their pets:

Remember that airlines allow pets to travel in the cargo hold on a first-come, first-served basis. Tell the reservations clerk or travel agent your pet will be traveling with you.

Book direct, nonstop flights.

Travel on the same flight as your pet.

Tell a flight attendant you have a pet traveling in the cargo hold.

Feed your pet at least six hours before the flight and give it water at least two hours before leaving. Don’t feed it right before the flight.

Fill the water container in the pet’s carrier with ice cubes to prevent spills during loading.

Clip your animal’s nails to prevent them from getting hooked in the carrier.

Take a record of shots and other health information with you.

Travel tips for you

The AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety recently released a list of measures aimed at cooling off hot-headed drivers. The list includes leaving a little early, relaxing (i.e., loosening your grip on that steering wheel) and avoiding driving when you’re angry or upset. But our favorite is one that encourages drivers to turn off “anger-inducing talk radio.”

Snowplowing ahead

Spokane County Commissioner Phil Harris recently was irked by citizen grumbling that state Initiative 695 had hurt the county’s snowplowing efforts. So the county engineer sent out a statement to reassure people that “Spokane County has NOT cut back service due to the passage of I-695.” It also hasn’t added any service. Just as in past years, the county plows when snow is 4 inches deep and melting isn’t expected. And, as in past years, the county does not use a boot on its snow equipment, as the city does, to keep from plowing snow into residents’ driveways.

Hot spots

Interstate 90 and the Sprague Avenue interchange: Weather permitting, westbound I-90 will be reduced to one lane near the Sprague overpass during daylight hours this week. Drivers should watch for slow-moving trucks entering and exiting the median.

U.S. Highway 395 from the Little Spokane River to Halfmoon Road: Weather permitting, crews will work this week to reopen the southbound left-turn lane. Expect lane restrictions. Also, the legal speed limit in this area soon will drop to 50 mph.

This sidebar appeared with the story: NUMBERS Your ideas

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