Safe Driving Tips

This is the final column in a set of three regarding life-saving procedures. If you missed the first two, you’re in luck, because they are located right below this one. You should note that all three columns involve driving. That says something that we should all know: we spend a lot of time on the road, and it is a dangerous environment.

The following story was relayed to me via email from a friend. It contained one of those all-too-common advisories that I should “forward it to at least ten friends.” As always, I tend to research those messages even more thoroughly prior to taking any action. Below is what I discovered about the warning.

This is no joke and it could save your life! I wonder how many people know about this ~ A 36-year-old female had an accident several weeks ago and totaled her car. A resident of Kilgore, Texas, she was traveling between Gladewater & Kilgore. It was raining, though not excessively, when her car suddenly began to hydroplane and literally flew through the air. She was not seriously injured but very stunned at the sudden occurrence!

When she explained to the highway patrolman what had happened he told her something that every driver should know - NEVER DRIVE IN THE RAIN WITH YOUR CRUISE CONTROL ON. She thought she was being cautious by setting the cruise control and maintaining a safe consistent speed in the rain.

But the highway patrolman told her that if the cruise control is on when your car begins to hydroplane and your tires lose contact with the pavement, your car will accelerate to a higher rate of speed making you take off like an airplane. She told the patrolman that was exactly what had occurred.

If you send this to 15 people and only one of them doesn't know about this, then it was all worth it. You might have saved a life.

NOTE: Some vehicles (like the Toyota Sienna Limited XLE) will not allow you to set the cruise control when the windshield wipers are on.

I had seen this warning somewhere before, and I was curious about the origins, so I went to Snopes to see what the Mikkelsons had to say. The reference I found was for the same story, but the “recent” accident turns out to have happened in 2002 or 2003.

The facts seem to be genuine, so the alert is one that should be heeded. However, Barbara “spin control” Mikkelson included some additional advice from a driver who had apparently had a similar driving experience.

When road conditions are at all hazardous—rain, sleet, snow or ice—speed should be reduced. Driving at 65-70 miles-per-hour on a slick pavement is highly dangerous. Slow down.

To that advice, I add my own. If you drive a vehicle with an automatic transmission and you are in the above conditions, slow down and shift from overdrive into ‘D’ or the numbered gears.

You won’t be using the highest gear, but the ratio is 1:1, meaning that the transmission is on the same speed as the wheels. You have much better control on wet pavement and on hills, too, because the engine is doing some of the braking for you.

Most people don’t ever use the lower, non-overdrive position on their gearshift. However, if you read your driver’s manual that came with the vehicle—another step that many people skip—you will see that specific gear selection is recommended for conditions where you want to avoid unnecessary gear shifting in the auto transmission. It also avoids overspeed and wheel spinning of the type that is described in the anecdote above.

Driving in mountains is another road condition that calls for use of the lower gears instead of overdrive. You will likely use a bit more gasoline or diesel fuel, but you will have much more control, especially on the downgrades.

There are differences in where the overdrive gear is located and how it is marked on the shift display, so I recommend that you get your owner’s Manual out of the glove box and read it thoroughly. I can almost guarantee that you will learn things you never knew about your vehicle.

And one more tip; not all states require it, but when you have windshield wipers on, you should also put your car headlights on, and I don’t mean just parking lights. It will make your vehicle easier to see by oncoming traffic, especially in downpours or in blowing snow.

I received a response on this column that seemed to warrant an addendum. If you have an ABS system on your vehicle, you might want to consider disabling it during the winter when road conditions deteriorate. The computer-assisted braking cannot react like the human brain can when a skid begins. ABS Braking action in ice and snow might prolong your stopping the skid, putting you in harm's way.

All you have to do to disable the system is pull the fuse, but make sure you replace it after the conditions improve. However, if you don't feel comfortable without the ABS system, then ignore this advice and let it do the braking while you concentrate on steering.

Be safe out there.