How To Drive On Snow And Ice (1957)

[Music] winter with its snow ice and bitter cold brings the fun of doing things in snowy country winter means skiing winter means fun but the same snow and Ice that make for fun in winter sports make winter a hazardous time for motorists so let's take a look at some of these Winters and see what can be done to combat them in Burlington Vermont where Winters are severe a good witness to The Perils of winter is police chief Donald P Russell his file on accident shows motorists with frozen cars Autos that skid and Tangle at snow covered intersections and the most serious of Winter's tolls death itself this car went out of control on an icy Hill one way to meet the challenge of Winter's accident toll is to teach driving techniques in high school let's look in on a winter driving class at the Burlington Vermont high school and see what we can learn why study winter driving the emphasis is on safety and comfort lesson number one is to get your car ready for winter a few checkpoints might be engine oil thin enough for subzero antifreeze engine thermostat to keep heater and defroster working well and when it gets real cold a compound to keep fuel lines from freezing even minor things like cleaning your headlights are important your brakes need checking the instructor warns about letting snow and ice gather under the front fender which causes trouble in steering this can even cause accidents an all print of a Strang looking ice cycle helps us understand about getting a grip by the use of tire chains in applying chains fasten the side behind the wheel first then the front make certain that they are tight on both Wheels then listen for loose clanking contact with the car pull slowly on the paper and the toy car goes right along in this old parlor trick showing why it's important not to start too fast on a slippery road but Jerk it suddenly like this and your car skids now see how this trick is put into actual practice the more slippery the surface the more gradual should be the start ready for a quick quiz if a car going 20 M hour on dry pavement can stop in its own length how far would it take to stop on ice without chains or snow tires the first student estimates less than 100 ft the next guess is at 150 ft but the instructor places the car at the right answer you need 200 ft to stop on ice at 20 mph in practice the driver Slams on his brakes at 20 mph and sure enough takes all of 200 ft to stop now in this next scene the lesson is grim but Unforgettable suppose those pylons had been people when you stop on a slippery surface You Skid that means swerving a tendency to whip out of control but you can come out of it by turning the steering wheel which way the student shows by drawing the front wheels pointed to the right when the rear of the car slides in that direction now we go Outdoors again as the student and instructor tackle the skidding problem here's what happens when you do it the wrong way I sure wouldn't want this to happen to me in traffic would you the instructor now tries the skid technique again only this time he turns the front wheels in the direction that the rear wheels are sliding watch as a skillful sports car car driver confirms the proper skid technique by turning his wheels in the direction of the skid there's a skid at every turn but each time he turns with the skid here's something to remember the colder it gets the quicker you can stop on ice but near the freezing point a film of water makes the ice very slippery at 30° above zero for instance it takes 200 ft to stop from 20 mph speeds but at zero you can stop in half that distance but even at Zero ice is still slippery as the student finds out in practicing skid control the car spins on a turn but now the student knows what to do the front wheels are turned in the same direction the back wheels are swerving also important is the distance between your car and the one ahead moving slowly on a dry road you can follow at car's length but on ice safety demands 100 ft now let's clear the windshield and look at the subject of driving in snow it's an art in itself not always the same as driving on ice first have a clear view ahead start slowly let those snow tires make their Mark Sharp and clear snow like ice is less Troublesome well below freezing the training car has no trouble in taking off here its snow tires get a grip by carving themselves ATT track in the snow the way this Cog wheel presses a pack bath in a bed of clay the people who work in the tire industry are constantly trying to improve the new snow tires for example the tread on tires today really grips the snow like the Cog wheel it leaves a track but unlike the crude cogs it does not pick up the snow or make bothersome road noise to get the feeling of driving in snow the instructor and his passengers roll off the main road and drive through fresh snow along a narrow Country Road the way you do it is Move Along at a moderate speed keep out of rough places be prepared to shift in a hurry to lower gear don't turn too sharply this is the differential from an automobile it makes your rear wheels revolve at different speeds in going around corners but as you will soon see it also makes it necessary to get traction from both rear wheels just for practice our class tries to drive up a steep Side Road that's covered with snow the rear wheels start to slip and the car can't make it quite to the top of the incline the car stops now everybody wants to help but the instructor warns that it's easy to fall in pushing on such a slippery hill now what do we do it takes only a moment to decide this calls for the sand and shovel we've been carrying for just such an emergency remember spread the sand around under both rear wheels because the differential gears would allow one wheel to spin while the other is standing still now we have traction for a new start we're on our way again an artificial snowstorm shows us how high snowbanks hide cars around corners an important hidden Hazard to keep in mind when driving a newly plowed Country Roads and Outdoors the principal gets a real life test as one car suddenly pops out from behind a snowbank and speaking of hidden hazards remember that part of the windshield not reached by wipers can hide another car in another outdoor test we see that even snow can be slippery the instructor applies the brakes at 20 5 mph but the car slides many feet even more the second time at only 5 mph faster actually stopping on a slippery surface whether snow or ice calls for pumping the brakes fast up and down pressure on the brake pedal so the rear wheel takes command of things without pulling the ground out from under let's look at another problem here's a car hopelessly bogged down in a snow bank just off the road so the instructor and class get busy first we dig the snow away from the wheels to survey the problem then clear the snow from around and under the car itself remember we carry the shovel for just such emergencies now the digging is done the path is clear and with a slow start the car shakes itself loose and rolls ahead a different kind of of trouble confronts us as the car struggles to climb from a snow Laden Side Road into a main road watch as the driver uses the rock and roll technique each time bucking a longer clear space ahead and behind until he has cleared a path for a getaway the rock and roll technique calls for a steady movement of gear shift from forward to reverse and back always catching the car for change of motion just as it bounces from extreme forward or back one important fact about winter driving that the instructor emphasizes now you can't always be sure what's ahead where is the hidden hazard in the drawing a student comes to the board and gives the right answer the danger of ice lying in wait for motorists on the Shady Side of a hill the hazard in this diagram is represented by the crowned Contour of the road so that a car might slide from one side to another the bank turn on some roads can be treacherous if plows or Wind Drift let the snow undo the pitch or slant of the bank so cars May spin to the outside of the turn now let's touch on some points stressed in burlingon check weather conditions before you start be prepared for all kinds of E mercies be courteous to both motorists and pedestrians avoid splashing for example very important follow at a safe distance and finally go slow in snow go at a speed that is consistent with the conditions you meet conditions of temperature the car itself and the terrain ahead this Country Lane goes back to the days when winter was a time to jack up the car and say by the fire today safe cars good tires and improved roads have changed all that but now as it was then the most important factor in Winter driving is a well-trained skillful safety-minded driver prepared and equipped to meet every challenge of ice and snow [Music]