OCR Text |
Show . i. Police Chief Ferre warns drivers to take special care in winter driving With lots of winter weather ahead, Pleasant Grove's Chief of Police Mike Ferre has been prompted to review professional driver techniques used to combat bad weather motoring woes. The message is clear according to Chief Ferre. "Regardless of the help provided by traction aids, in no instance is the way you can maneuver or stop your car close to that of conventional con-ventional highway tires on either a dry or even wet road surface. You must slow down and stay well back of traffic ahead on winter slick roads. "And ajways buckle up! Use the safety restraints in your car - for yourself and your passengers. If you have children, equip your vehicle with the proper type of restraints recommended for your child's age, height and weight." Commonly posed questions at this time of year include: Is there a significant difference in stopping distances in relation to size and weight of cars? In comparing rear-drive vehicles, skid testers have found that a sub-compact sub-compact car is likely to require a shorter distance in a panic stop on ice than a compact car. A compact car, in turn, is likely to require a shorter distance than a standard car. Stopping distances for the lighter cars can be as much as 25 Winter driving specialists warn, however, that following distance changes with the weather. The time and distance it takes to do everything is exaggerated when the road is icy -- up to 10 times normal. In snow and ice, allow a four, five (or even more second interval for an adequate safety cushion. Are traction aids helpful ? Extensive tests using standard-size, standard-size, rear-drive cars have shown that snow tires improve traction by 28 percent on glare ice, 51 percent on loosely packed snow. Studded tires (in states where their use is permitted) reduce braking distance on ice by 19 percent and provide about three times the pulling ability of regular tires. Reinforced tire chains reduce braking distances by 50 percent on glare ice and provide from four to seven times as much traction as a regular tire on snow and ice. according to Chief Johnson: "Regardless of the help provided by traction aids, in no instance is the way you can maneuver or stop your car close to that of conventional con-ventional highway tires on either a dry or even wet road surface. You must slow down and stay well back of traffic ahead on winter slick roads. "And always buckle up! Use the safety restraints in your car - for yourself and your passengers. If you have children, equip your vehicle with the proper type of restraints recommended for your child's age, height and weight." percent shorter. However, a secondary problem crops up. Again referring to rear-drive rear-drive vehicles, when trying to get started from a stop on icy roads, the smaller, lighter cars have a notable difficulty getting back into motion. .This is true at warmer ice temperatures tem-peratures or when ice has become highly polished such as at intersections. in-tersections. Chances are increased of being rear-ended by vehicles that can get started quicker - either because of weight or traction aids used. Are there other problems drivers of smaller, lighter cars should rethink? Ski testers cite these factors: ;;-When a lighter car collides with a heavier car or truck, it stops very abruptly. All things being equal, occupants of the lighter vehicle face a higher probability of injury or death. -Sign posts andlamps designed to break away in crashes may not perform as designed when struck by lower, lighter cars. -Car and trucks parts, such as bumpers, may be too high or too low to do any good in crashes between the different sized vehicles. -Because the eye height for drivers in smaller cars is lower, the motorist's sight distance is reduced at hillcrests, intersections, and by roadside obstructions. Splash from larger vehicles is also more of a problem. --Drivers of lower, lighter vehicles must be extra alert, and extra skillful, in crash producing situations. Stretched out following distances are a good preventative technique. What is the key to judging how far to stay behind a car ahead? Experts recommend the two-second two-second rule. After the vehicle ahead has passed an object (such as a sign) alongside the road, count the time it takes your car to reach that same object. Count "one thousand and one, one thousand and two." If you reach the object before you've finished counting "one thousand and two," you are following too closely. Too seconds is valid through only on good (dry) surfaces. |