Well, as the new dawn of spring slowly shows her beautiful warm face, winter kicks it in the stomach and takes a hit all over the country, well not all, the south part at least. Orange code for snow fall all over the region…more snow, more fun on the road, more fun on the road, more chances of getting your car busted. So, what happened? Well, here, in Bucharest, there’s an old saying: FORCE THE YELLOW LIGHT MOFO! About 95% of the time, I pass when the traffic light is yellow, thus, breaking a traffic law which can result in my driver’s license being suspended, yesterday night I decided to be on the good side of the law and stop at a traffic light. Guess that was not the safe smart move I’ve expected. After about 3 secounds I am pushed over the pedestrian crossing markings with quite a large bang. Apparently, the guy behind me didn’t expect a yellow light break and with a lil help from the ABS and snowfall he plummeted into my rear bumper. The impact was not that brutal, I was not keeping my brakes down, so most of the energy was dispersed into forward motion.
My reaction: Normal. I got out of the car, looked at the bumper then talked with the driver to pull over the side of the road so we could talk. We discussed and agreed that no police were to be involved, instead we both opted for the “Amiable Damage Report” which is a procedure that saves both time and headaches. So, tomorrow with a lil bit of luck I’ll take my car and the report to the insurance company and hopefully get a new bumper. If I don’t get a new bumper, I’ll get a lawsuit for 50000 USD involving mental damage and the regular: Now I am afraid to drive when it snows because I almost killed a pedestrian because of him! So yeah, either way, I win a new bumper or a new car.
Like last time…here are 5 tips to keep you safe on the road in winter conditions:
#1: Pack a winter survival kit. That involves: Snow shovel, tire chains, small bag of sand, a blanket, tow rope, jumper cables, a pair pliers, CO2 tube, tire repair kit, and flat tire inflated at 3 Atm.
#2: Use a mixture of brake with engine brake, the proportion should be around: 80% engine brake with 20% regular brake. This is useful because the engine brake will not light up your rear brake lights which will likely result in an impact with the guy behind you. Applying a gentle pressure on the brake pedal will turn the lights on and signal the guy behind you that you are slowing down.
#3: If it’s shiny, it’s slippery. Unless you are using tire chains, you have to know that winter tires are like all season tires on ice. Keeping it under 50 Km/h will keep you pretty safe, slow down even more at bends, using engine brake.
#4: Full tank on long journeys. Gas is too expensive? Would you rather save 20 bucks and freeze while you hope to be rescued? During winter, it’s most likely you’ll be stuck in a snowstorm, if it’s not the storm it’s the visibility…If it’s not the visibility, it’s a roadblock enforced by the police. While you wait, keeping the engine on will consume about 1L/h or more if you have the heating on. Still, it’s better to be confortable waiting for the road to get cleared then venturing with limited gas reserves.
#5: Fair play: Last but not least, keep safe distances between vehicles and even take an extra ‘half second distance for winter safety reasons. When it’s not possible, cling your eyes to the rearview mirror to see if the guy behind you can slow down, if not, try moving forward, or at least keep in motion long enough so the impact will not be so hard. The last thing you want to do is keep the brakes down in an impact.
Well these are some of the major rules you should apply during winter travels. Remember, they are there to reduce the number of incidents but they are not 100% safe, nothing is. It will not help if the guy in front of you travels at 100 Km/h and loses control and hits you. That’s how it is sometimes. Don’t forget to wear your seatbelts too.
“Don’t forget to wear your seatbelts too.”
Do what the pope says, not what the pope does, right?