How to Drive in Freezing Rain

The first thing to remember is that Freezing Rain and Driving do not mix. If you are in any doubt at all, DO NOT DRIVE IN FREEZING RAIN

The second thing is - do not confuse Freezing Rain with Black Ice.

Black Ice is caused by an already wet road becoming frozen in patches by differing road temperatures or perhaps an icy wind blowing on a particular spot. If your car skids on Black Ice it will be controllable as soon as it slides off the icy patch. With freezing rain everything is frozen, your car, the road, every blade of grass, even the telephone post you are liable to knock down.

Freezing Rain is caused by a low pressure system meeting a high pressure area. This meeting point causes the supercooled rain to freeze on impact. With freezing rain, the rain is freezing as it falls. It used to be an eastern seaboard phenomenon, but with today's weird weather systems, it can easily happen anywhere in North America.

If you are visiting friends and you know it is going be freezing rain, simply hold off on your journey home. Most people make the mistake of hurrying home when they hear the weather stations forecasting freezing rain. Have another coffee; the salt trucks will be out in a few hours and then you can drive home safely. Alternatively, stay over for the evening. Sleeping on a sofa is a better alternative than dying in a ditch.

If you do decide to drive home, you will have to chip the ice off the windows and windscreen and prise your wipers off the glass before you start. Make sure that you turn your engine on first and set the heater to heat the screen, as the ice you chip off will be getting replaced immediately by falling rain. It also helps if you have winter wipers as they keep your wipers on the glass instead of letting them scrub over the top of the forming ice. Windscreen washer liquid with a freezing point of at least minus 40 is also an excellent idea.

It is important for you to remember that you will be driving on a sheet of glass. There will be no grip for your tires whatsoever. Think of it this way - imagine you and two friends trying to walk across an ice hockey rink. You would need your friends to keep you upright. Now think about the same journey with no friends holding you up. That is driving in freezing rain.

Once you get your car moving, which can be difficult, it is important to remember not to touch the brakes. You will have to drive as if you were playing a game of chess - thinking three moves ahead. Even if you know the road blindfold, driving in freezing rain will give you a new perspective. Local roads are usually driven with our brains in neutral as we think of what has happened or is about to happen in our lives. With freezing rain, if you don't concentrate there may not be any future to worry about.

As you try to relax your death grip on the wheel, and caress the gas pedal instead of jabbing at it, now and then it will feel as if the tires are bumping over an object or hesitating - that is your tire beginning its skid. Think of the road you are on. Does that part of the road have a steep camber to the right? If it does, ease over to the center of the road where it is flatter. If the camber slopes left, ease over as far to the right as you feel safe. Make no sudden movements.

When you come to an uphill part of the road, do your chess act; think what is over the top of the hill. Come off the gas pedal when you think the car will just reach the top and no more; remember that if there is a down hill on the other side, you will not be able to use the foot brake, so the car has to be going as slowly as possible. Even at that, it may go too fast down the opposite slope. That is when you pray - harder than you have been doing.

Read the signposts - you know, the ones you never read, or see, because you know the road like the back of your hand - and anticipate the corners. Come off the gas hundreds of yards back if necessary in order to negotiate the corners, and wherever possible 'straighten' them out.

As you are doing all this, start thinking of how you are going to stop when you get home. If your driveway is on the left side of the road you have a bit of leeway on the final curve into it, as you can move way, way over to the right long before the driveway and let the car drift across towards your finish line. If you driveway is on the right, you have a problem. Assuming there are no cars coming in the opposite direction, and there shouldn't be in that weather, come off the gas about half a mile back, and drift the car over to the wrong side of the road. Make the sharp corner into your driveway as much of a gentle curve as is possible.

Once you get into the drive, try not to use the garage door as a car-stop. Once that is accomplished, and you can finally take a breath, be careful as you exit the car. It would be so embarrassing if you fell on your butt on the ice covered drive.