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SALT LAKE CITY — There’s nothing new about the snow that slammed parts of the state Monday or the freezing temperatures expected overnight into Tuesday. Yet, no matter how many times we’ve seen these weather conditions, maneuvering Utah’s roads in it can feel like going back to school.
“The first line of defense I would probably say is deciding whether to do it or not,” said Ben Abel, who grew up driving on Utah’s roads and currently teaches others to do the same as a driving instructor at Revolution Driving.
“The things you can control are the things that come before you start sliding,” Abel said. But if slowing down, maintaining your car and your tires, and keeping your distance doesn’t keep you from slipping on ice, Abel said to hold off on the brake.
“I have a lot of students, that’s what they do,” he said. “They get scared and the brake is kind of like their escape button.”
But he said if you’re already slipping, the brake may just make things worse.
“You’re supposed to steer in the direction the back of your car is going,” Abel said. “Or basically it’s counter the front. Because if the back’s going to the right, the front’s going to the left.”
No matter how many times you’ve driven in it, your next drive in the snow and ice just might bring something new.
