Driving On Snow | Learn to drive: Expert skills

[@InSoloDeo]

Snow in the shire in 2021 brought me here!

[@AdvanceDrivingSchool]

Ha ha - this video always gets a few views whenever it snows!

[@Adell.Explores]

I passed my test last month thanks to the help from these videos. I still continue to watch them as there's always more to learn

[@NeoVox]

First time ever driving in the snow today on the way to work. This has given me the understanding to be more confident today. Thank you.

[@kennedymark1]

Pretty good advice. The tyres being one of the most important factors - a dedicated winter tyre is recommended for the colder months and they pay for themselves in the end.

[@AdvanceDrivingSchool]

Thanks for watching - if you found this video interesting then please subscribe to our channel and click the bell to be notified of our next video! This video includes; * 0:06 Introduction * 0:45 Do we really need to drive? * 1:43 Prepare the car * 3:12 Pulling away * 4:05 Look well ahead * 4:37 Skid control * 5:27 Braking * 5:38 Be careful with speed * 7:47 Cornering * 8:35 Junctions * 9:08 Residential areas * 9:46 Other traffic * 10:19 Hills * 10:56 Summary

[@bethanysimpson9628]

I’ve just passed my driving test and moved to an area where in winter gets bad in some areas so this helped a lot.

[@chloebarrymore7623]

Just passed my test first time and I want to thank everyone on this channel! Your videos were so clear and informative, really helped me study x

[@AdvanceDrivingSchool]

Thanks very much - and well done to you! Good luck 🚙👍🏼

[@Pnaraasi94]

What wasn't mentioned is hitting snow or slush can be a bit like hydroplaning, so when do hit that stuff at high(ish) speed it can make your front wheels jerk left or right if you're not careful, sending you into a spin when your front wheels regain traction. This can also happen when you change lanes and go from one set of tracks to another.

[@PatagonianFoodbat]

Hi. A Northern European here. As we drive in snow and ice conditions each winter for several months, maybe there is something I can add to this good video. First of all I would say driving in snowy conditions is 80% about tires and 20% skill. If the road is covered with snow (i.e. totally white), then do not drive with summer tires. Even if you have to, don't. The risk of an accident happening is just too high. Even a good driver in these conditions with summer tires cannot do much, not to mention an unskilled one. But an unskilled driver with good and appropriate tires will probably do just fine. Just try to avoid hard maneuvers and you won't even get any skidding. Summer tires however have absolutely no grip on snow whatsoever - you cannot steer, you cannot brake, you cannot control the movement of the car. It can be expensive to get an extra set of tires and change them for winter, but it is still cheaper compared to paying higher insurance premiums if you cause an accident, not to mention if someone gets hurt. And summer tires don't work anyway if the temperature drops below 5'C, even if it does not snow. If you get snow for only a couple of days a year, then just don't drive during this time, but if it is longer, then consider buying proper winter tires. Prefer European if you can, Asian and Chinese brands are cheaper but they really are not that good in snow and ice, contrary to what they claim. Keep in mind that winter tires have a shelf life of 5...7 years. After that they usually become "plasticky" and lose most of their grip ability. Chinese brands last less. Secondly if you have appropriate tires, then give yourself some distance while driving. Even with good tires the stopping distance is still about two times longer than in summer and dry conditions. And as the last thing that I would suggest is when the snow hits, find an empty parking lot or something and go and test how the car behaves. Accelerate, make sudden and hard maneuvers, brake hard, turn hard at regular speed, etc. Make sure you have enough space so you can't hit anything if you lose control for a moment. Try to find how much the car and tires can take until the car starts skidding or how long the stopping distance is. This way you know where the limit is that you should not cross while driving on public roads later.

[@AdvanceDrivingSchool]

Thanks for the great tips 🚙👍🏼

[@alexanderkubanski9563]

Amazing advice. Having driven in 33 out of the 44 countries in Europe, and all of Scandinavia to Norkapp, in winter, and across the Alps for the last 5 years, I totally agree. Winter tyres and all the other tips that you mentioned are 100% spot on, and will help new drivers. In February 2018, on my 2,800 mile drive from London- Oslo- Tromso- Nordkapp, I didn't see even 1 accident for the whole duration of Norway (1,600 miles). In fact I didn't even see 1 scratch on a car outside of Oslo. The standard of driving in Norway, Sweden and Finland is incredible. I would say the best in the world. Tyres make all the difference, but skill and experience is important too. Happily with driving in snow and ice- the more you do, and the more you practice you have, the easier it gets, until it becomes natural 🙂

[@DanielPlayGaming]

A RWD car with winter tyres will be much better than a 4WD/AWD one with summer tyres... In my opinion it's a split of 75% right tyres and 25% knowledge. A tip that you missed is that, if you're on the correct tyres, if going uphill you start to lose traction, it can be beneficial to turn off traction control. Another tip that should be said is that, at lower speeds, driving on the snow and not the tracks of others can give more traction.

[@AdvanceDrivingSchool]

Good advice 👍🏼

[@markhamilton7289]

best winter driving advice you could give people is to swap summer tyres to winter. simple and basic.

[@arinapashkun]

Have my road test at the end of November in Canada🙃 hopefully this will help

[@Nooziterp1]

Firstly winter tyres. The trouble is in the UK the seasons change every few days. So you could think 'winter's here. Better change my wheels for ones with winter tyres.' Then a few days later it's spring, so you change your wheels again for ones with normal tyres. Then a few days after that winter is back, so you change your wheels again. A few days after that - you get the picture. Secondly, I have one rule for driving on snow - don't. Take a bus - a big heavy vehicle driven by a professional driver and if the driver skids and piles into a lamp post - not my problem. Either this or a taxi. Again driven by a professional driver, and if they skid and pile into a lamp post not my problem. People say 'if you can get moving on snow then fine. No problem.' But what if a pedestrian suddenly jumps out in front of you? You may have all the technological gizmos going but you are still going to hit them. And you will be the one in court, not the pedestrian. No, all things considered I will leave the car at home. It will cost more, but it is a lot cheaper than repairs to a scrunched car, plus whatever I hit.

[@leetshots]

put them on in october / november take them off in april / march. assuming you splash out on winter tyres to start with, as the video suggests you should be fine on decent all seasons all year round in the uk. not as reliable as winters, but they'll keep you moving and more importantly, stopping.

[@marianazim1084]

Thanks for the update

[@jerrybootneck1736]

You never mentioned about using your gearbox to slow down, in snow my gearbox is used more than my breaks to reduce skidding even more.

[@AdvanceDrivingSchool]

We wouldn't recommend doing that actually, as your brakes work on all 4 wheels and also have ABS to prevent the wheels locking. In contrast, selecting lower gears to use your gearbox to slow will usually only use 2 wheels to slow the car - which could cause the wheels to under-rotate and lose traction.

[@raftonpounder6696]

@@AdvanceDrivingSchool ABS is useless on snow and ice. In fact on snow you should turn it off. And engine braking is best for slippery conditions. Gentle clutch control is much better than braking.

[@bp19870]

I was always taught to use the gears instead of the breaks in the snow. I've never used the breaks unless I really have to.

[@AdvanceDrivingSchool]

We like to lift off the accelerator and use ‘engine braking’ to slow down, but we should be very wary of selecting lower gears - as it is easy to lose control. This is because the engine braking is only through the driven wheels (only 2 on most cars) and the drag of the engine can make the wheels turn slower than the speed of the car, similar to locking a brake. We think pressing the brake pedal gently is safer as it will brake all four wheels, and also has ABS to prevent skidding.

[@raftonpounder6696]

@@AdvanceDrivingSchool ABS does not work on ice. Turn it off on snow.

[@virtualoathstudios5484]

It’s going to be snowing on my test should be easier 🎉🎉🎉

[@lesa1378]

How did it go?

[@pan1619]

Production value is immence

[@FranciscoSeixasPT]

No mention of downshifting at all?!

[@lesa1378]

Got my test booked Friday morning! Due to have heavy snow 🥺

[@AdvanceDrivingSchool]

You can do it!

[@Dreamworkstt]

Thank you so much!

[@frankblack7801]

👤 🕶 I disagree. I've always found it safer to drive in fresh snow rarther than following other drivers tracks which are often slippy and frozen.

[@eyelidman09]

Hello, great advice as usual. I appreciate you can’t cover every eventuality when driving in snow, but perhaps some advice about what to do should you go into a spin on ice, or possibly what to do when encountering black ice on the road might also have been beneficial. This information is widely available on KZbin in addition to your excellent professional advice offered here, in my humble opinion. Many thanks.

[@AdvanceDrivingSchool]

Yes, it would have been good to show that as well, but the video was getting quite long already. Our average viewing time on this channel is about 4.5 minutes, so there isn’t much point making longer videos as most people wouldn’t watch the end!

[@jorgemendoza822]

Dallas snow brought me here❄⛄

[@AdvanceDrivingSchool]

Ha - I had read that you have the most snow for 30 years!

[@jorgemendoza822]

Yes. It looks beautiful and its fun to play in but I'll be glad when its gone. I get so much anxiety when I have drive in this weather. Your video helped a lot, thank you.

[@skubadoobie]

Same here!! But San Antonio, we are definitely not prepared for this weather

[@shugofahamdard8495]

thanks for good advice and could you please make vedios for Navigation system for new test I really need to watch more vedios 👌👌👍👍

[@AdvanceDrivingSchool]

Well, you might be interested in our next video then - a full replica of the new U.K. Driving Test, including independent driving with the official Sat-Nav. 👍🏼

[@devonmoon5016]

Fantastic video ,thankyou so helpful 😊👌 Brrrr looks so cold there 😨 sharing to my FB driving groups 😊👍 safe & happy driving everyone 🚗 XXX

[@JohnnyTHolland]

Yeah - stick proper (not all weather) winter tyres on the driving wheels and you will go anywhere - even across fields and even in an automatic (strictly speaking whilst many tyre centres say you must have winter tyres on all 4 wheels - yep you do if you have a rear-wheel drive, but with front-wheel drive just the two driving wheels as they will 'pull' you out of trouble - it works !)

[@AdvanceDrivingSchool]

The reason that it is recommended that all 4 tyres are the same type is to preserve the balance of grip between each end of the car. Otherwise the car will handle in an unpredictable manner, which could be dangerous.

[@ianwood6814]

All of the advice in this video applies to every day driving. If you can drive safe and confident on snow and ice transfer these skills to every day driving and you will find yourself a better driver. Windscreen wipers ! If the visibility is such that wipers are needed full time then you’re headlights should be on!

[@JustHannah1]

I passed my test in July, and moved to Canada in September. I've just driven 3000km through mostly dry and a wee bit of rain and sleet, now it's coming up to winter. I need all the luck.

[@Covid-bv4hp]

How has it been? Ive never driven on snow and may be moving soon to Canada.

[@Nooziterp1]

Yes but in Canada when it snows they deal with it. Unlike the UK where they do nothing. We only get snow for maybe 2 or 3 days a year, so it isn't worth spending maybe millions on snow clearing machines. Plus the snow we get is wet and slushy with a layer of ice under it, so even if the snow is cleared it still leaves the layer of ice. Which is worse.

[@EmperorMingg]

If you’re in an automatic that doesn’t have a winter mode and you need to pull off... do NOT gas the car, engage DRIVE (D) and release the brake. As you want to brake ahead without skidding.. slow down naturally, don’t let your brakes lock, engage neutral (N) as you reach 5-10mph before the stop, and one last (very) gentle brake.

[@AdvanceDrivingSchool]

Thanks for the tips!

[@Joshua5654]

Drive RWD car, snow tires on the front Flick the steering before the corner Make quick sharp adjustments in steering Prevent over drift unless you have angle kit installed Just keep the front heading where your going Remember to use the hand brake in residential areas as they have sharp turns with vehicles parked along the side this makes it useful to do a 180 as there may not be enough space to turn around

[@1234nikster]

What about in an automatic?

[@AdvanceDrivingSchool]

Automatic cars are really good in the snow, as their smooth power delivery means that it's easier to pull away without wheel spin, than in a manual car with a clutch. Some even have a 'winter' mode that gives less power to the wheels to help further. Apart from that, everything else is the same as in a manual car :-)

[@markwright3161]

When talking about clearing the roof and bonnet, you forgot to mention that snow could slide off the roof under braking, and fly off the bonnet under acceleration, onto the windscreen, and it can weigh too much for the wipers too clear leaving the driver blind.

[@daveworthing2294]

That first statement!

[@janhansen554]

Living in Norway i can tell, u do 2 big mistakes. Dont ever have tracktion controll on in winter time and never hold your stearing wheel at 9-3 position. When its icy, your hold on steering wheel will make u turn around of our car. Make sure your hand resting to your legs when driving on icy conditions. In icy roads i only use 3 finger on my wheel, and my hand is resting on my legs. Never crashed on very icy roads

[@leleledjfocus22]

do you not have snowploughs in the uk?

[@AdvanceDrivingSchool]

There are some in reserve - but in our area I have never seen one actually in use. We barely get any snow during the winter so there is never any need for the snow plough to be used. In northern England and Scotland I expect they get a lot more use though!

[@5714sqd]

With the cost of a new car approachig ₤30,000 investing 400/500₤ in winter tyres makes sense. I live in Canada where snow tires are mandated in many areas. Winter driving is difficult enough without having to contend with selfish or inconsiderate drivers.

[@12388753]

As a Norwegian who lives 170m above sea level and 20km from the closest fjord, this is so funny to watch :) Edit: Today(20th October 2023) is the first day of snow here in Southern Norway. I haven't switched over to winter tyres yet 🤣 Might do that today..

[@shujaatdar.1379]

Snow ❄️ in London today brought me here.

[@michaeldemetriou1399]

If cars follow too close behind signal and pull over in a safe place allowing them to overtake you.

[@Zindoo]

you can teach me next year, please

[@AdvanceDrivingSchool]

No problem - as long as you live in Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk!

[@rh7732]

I’m guessing you had to wait 3-4 years to upload driving in snow lmao

[@AdvanceDrivingSchool]

Yes - we don’t get much snow where we live!

[@theenglishtrucker1849]

The most dangerous part of snow driving in the UK is all the other muppets on the road with SUMMER TYRES. All season tyres are terrible, unless its a Michelin Cross Climate. 4WD summer tyres in snow can be just as useless as FWD summer tyres in snow. WINTER tyres are a must.

[@johnb6723]

In ice and snow, one should only drive at 1/3 of the speed limit.

[@btdragon37mm]

2:08 listen to your own advice!

[@AdvanceDrivingSchool]

That tiny bit on the roof won't matter ;-)

[@alexsmith9292]

I’m very prepared and love driving in the snow it’s just there’s always that one person 🤦‍♂️

[@yousefshek603]

Man today was my fcking day but I ruined it. By drifting and ended in a small Forrest 😅 But I learned smth atleast haha

[@yousefshek603]

Watching this to learn what to do when the car drifts. How to take control

[@johnbower7452]

Skid training should be mandatory. You can't learn to control a skid unless you get into one; and that is what catches a lot of drivers out as by the time they do skid it's too late to learn how to get out of it. I can vouch for ABS being useless in snow/ice; my first experience of it was a Mercedes; on ice the pedal just went to the floor and stayed there; while my car had no ABS and I could stop safely. BTW I ended up using the handbrake to stop the Merc otherwise (at walking pace) I would have hit the gates into the firm's carpark before they opened.

[@ryans413]

If you start to skid let go of the gas pedal no brakes and steer in the direction you want to go

[@scotchwhisky6094]

I wish we didn't have to work during winter time this is awful

[@xnopyt13]

Didn’t know British people call low beam dipped headlights

[@leetshots]

snow tyres. caution. problem solved. also 4x4 will not give you good traction in snow on summer tyres. 4x4 only gives extra traction if the wheels have grip. of course it rarely snows long enough in this country to justify winter tyres, just stick the kettle on and stay in :P be melted in a couple of hours.

[@LocoMe4u]

DONT try and control a skid on a vehicule WITH anti skid control just slow down and point the steering wheel in the direction you want to go specially AWD ones, they already are doing your work just sit enjoy and known the cars limit (hello from Québec where snow is normal and alot heavier 5 months a year) People don't slow down enough here but at least proper winter tyres are an obligation now, no all-terrain or all-season tyres allowed

[@AdvanceDrivingSchool]

The car in the video had traction control and stability control - but we still had to take action when the car lost traction. The cars systems will help, but cannot do everything on their own!

[@esgee3829]

5:40 a wonderful gem. lol

[@videodude4]

Anyone know what is that green light on his dash? like crosshairs?

[@AdvanceDrivingSchool]

It’s a G-force meter called a ControlPAL - we reviewed it in this video: ControlPAL G-force meter | Product Review kzbin.info/www/bejne/fWO1haVnas6qkKM

[@Jackthesmilingblack]

Call that snow? More like heavy dandruff. Jack, the Japan Alps Brit

[@AdvanceDrivingSchool]

It’s all we get here in the south of England. Even though it isn’t much, it’s always enough to catch out careless drivers!

[@TwoHemiViewer]

Hmmmmm no mention of tyre pressures, lowering tyre pressures by a few pounds from summer or high load carrying pressures allows more tyre contact/footprint on road surface, be aware of your load however as you don't want the car wallowing around on ballooning tyres.

[@AdvanceDrivingSchool]

Thanks for the tips 👍🏼

[@CrustyBiker]

I've never had ABS or Traction Control (did have 4WD once) but tbh, watching the drive along at that speed of the car in the video feels a bit scary to me! I feel like the older I get the more cautious I'm getting, just got a different car so not as confident with the handling in snow yet? :-)

[@therealtoine5038]

Same lol!

[@infowarrior313]

Been watching random videos, i was thinking to myself "are they really just gonna say keep traction control on?" and then you totally redeem yourself and i felt like a rager...haha great video...cover alot in a short time....great job

[@georgeg99]

No 4/all wheel drive vehicles do not give good traction on any tyres. If you have a 4/all wheel drive vehicle with summer tyres on and a 2 wheel drive vehicle with winter tyres on and going up hill the 2 wheel will get you up the hill 1st and safer

[@AdvanceDrivingSchool]

You're right - having the correct tyres is more important than having 4 wheel drive!

[@tectorama]

What really annoys me is when I am driving very carefully in these conditions, and there is someone right on my rear bumper.

[@AdvanceDrivingSchool]

That is a real problem. We made a video about it here: Following Distance / Tailgating: kzbin.info/www/bejne/Z2aZm3WYnc1sd6s

[@jellybaby7]

Just need right hand on top steering wheel, left hand ready on handbrake and send it, yeehar

[@bartoszlitwinski1898]

I have few years experience in driving in snow and icy roads (more than 10yrs). To reduce speed also use your engine and gearbox. Yes use your break pedal very gently but to reduce speed quicker start reduce gears dipressing clutch slowly and using lowest gears like 4-3-2. When you start slipping on snow TC should be off coz you can use breaks at that time and you need use some more accelerate to move back of your car staright. With TC it's impossible coz computer will reduce it straight away.... But 1st thing what make me a bit angry in this video is the question "think if you really need to drive".

[@micko557]

All Season,Tire for everything and good in nothing.

[@AdvanceDrivingSchool]

Yes, we agree. They were OK in the summer, and OK in the winter - but not really good in either situation. Where we live we almost never get snow, so now we stick with summer tyres all year round, and hope we don't get caught out in the winter!

[@micko557]

@@AdvanceDrivingSchool Then we have the same weather conditions. I think that in my country 75% of car owners use Sava Escimo M+S tires. 🙋

[@ifuckedyourtiger]

Why does no body talk about scary it is going down the hill????? Going down is scary cause you're not allowed to brake but gravity keeps pulling you down faster and faster

[@ifuckedyourtiger]

Also, I like in California. The only snow that exists is where incline/decline is STEEP

[@AdvanceDrivingSchool]

It’s OK to brake gently in a car with anti-lock brakes (anything less than 15 years old probably) as it will prevent skidding automatically.

[@garlic.naan2]

who’s here today

[@raftonpounder6696]

2:45 absolute rubbish. A four wheel drive on summer tyres is as useless and dangerous as a two wheel drive car on summer tyres.

[@funtastic2578]

The ‘t’ is silent in ‘often’

[@AdvanceDrivingSchool]

In fact either pronunciation is correct - and recognised by the Oxford Dictionary.

[@SteezGuitarJam]

Come on it’s easy in a car try it on a motorbike 😂

[@AdvanceDrivingSchool]

No thanks - I don’t like hospital food!

[@Dreamlink91]

Just buy an Quattro Audi and off you go. And if you feel like an expert giving kids an advice you should NEVER tell them to go Allseason tires. Winter is for REAL winter tires!

[@AdvanceDrivingSchool]

We have had 2 Audi Quattros, and whilst the extra traction and stability is great - the braking performance is exactly the same as a 2 wheel drive car. Where we live it just doesn't get that cold in winter, and snow is extremely rare - so it isn't worth fitting proper winter tyres. All season tyres are actually perfect for us as they give acceptable grip throughout the year. Of course a dedicated summer tyre has more grip in the dry, and a proper winter tyre more grip in the snow - but latest all season tyres like the Michelin CrossClimate are pretty amazing and stop you ever being caught on the 'wrong' tyre. We are just saying that people need to be aware that there is more than one type of tyre, and depending on where you live you might want to consider what is best for you.

[@milknosugar1]

“It may be the first time an inexperienced driver has seen snow”... right, who is teaching 5 year olds to drive?!

[@sights2397]

lol, that's not snow

[@AdvanceDrivingSchool]

That's as much as we ever get - most years it doesn't snow at all!

[@sarahatkinson2334]

I seriously expected you to address how to rectify a skid, what a disappointment! As what has been mentioned here any monkey knows better!!!!

[@AdvanceDrivingSchool]

We did try to arrange a visit to a local skid pan, so we could show how to control a car in a skid. Unfortunately since it was in a MOD base we weren’t allowed to film, so that was cancelled. 😞

[@sarahatkinson2334]

@@AdvanceDrivingSchool Ok wow, that would have been super cool. However can you not please address even the basics? As they dont teach you very well this most important aspect of driving i.e winter driving. Im also confused by "steer into the skid" statement. It should mean if back turns right, steering wheel should also be turned to the right. However some places on net say the opposite. Also my avenue is very narrow with double parking, i worry about the car sliding towards parked cars. What should i do? Pull the handbrake up? Since light preassure in brake wont be as helpful. So you see tips like this i wanted addressed. Not just for me but many like me. Thank you in advance for any info.

[@miladhomayoun9924]

Expert driving tip: Wear warm clothing Hokay

[@sambarrett3059]

Get all the snow off the roof, lol no thanks