Josh Smythe, British Columbia Automobile Association (BCAA) automotive manager, a veteran driver and self-professed gearhead, says no matter what level of experience at the wheel, extra care is needed when heading up the highway in winter conditions.
Here are BCCAA’s Top 5 mistakes and tips to avoid them.
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Driving too fast for the conditions.
Posted speed limits are meant for ideal weather conditions, and they don’t give drivers time to react in poor situations.
“A lack of road contact [in slippery conditions] and traction, there’s nothing — experienced or inexperienced that is going to prepare you for. So, this is why we have to slow down and make sure we are driving within that speed that will allow that extra distance to be covered.”
Advice: In bad weather, drivers should reduce speed and leave a gap of two full seconds between their vehicle and the vehicle ahead.
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Skid panic.
To avoid a skid, slow down. But if drivers hit an icy patch and begin to lose control, they must stay calm and keep their eyes on the road and their hands on the wheel.
Smythe noted that everyone feels panic when they start to skid; driving safely is more about knowing how to act when it happens.
“Keep your eyes on the road, and more importantly, in the direction of expected travel,” Smythe said. “You will move in the direction you are looking.”
Try not to overreact and thus over-correct, which can lead to further loss of control — and a spinout, he added.
Smythe said that sometimes drivers assume a 4X4 or all-wheel drive vehicle will help them more than they do in icy conditions.
“Although it will help you maintain control, it is not an assist to help you stop. It will help you move forward — crawl up that hill that other people with two-wheeled drive vehicles are having a hard time going up. But going down that hill, you can still be sliding.”
Advice: When a skid starts, movements such as steering, braking and acceleration should be smooth.
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Bald tires.
Winter tires are legally required on the Sea to Sky from now until spring. That is a law, not a suggestion.
“It is the temperature change that should be instigating the tire change, not the snow,” noted Smythe.
“Seven degrees is not cold enough to snow, but that is cold enough to stiffen... the rubber compound on the summer tires. With a stiffer tire, you don’t have that grip or that grab. Below 7 degrees, your summer tires or your all-season tires are not as effective as winter and snow tires.”
Advice: Winter tires are needed below 7 degrees Celsius. Without the right seasonal tires, drivers should not be heading out to drive the Sea to Sky.
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Relying on the car’s technology
Vehicles come with so much technology these days. But in poor conditions, it might be better to revert to old-school driving techniques, says Smythe.
Automated features such as adaptive cruise and emergency braking are designed for ideal conditions.
“Some of the newer cars these days have a lot of technology,” he said. “This technology has allowed us as drivers to pay less attention to the road, because the car is effectively addressing issues when we fall out of line,” he said. “The car is not taking weather conditions into consideration. Cruise control, for example, isn’t developed to take slippery or snowy conditions into consideration. So, the way it operates may put your vehicle into less than positive condition for those situations.”
Advice: When conditions are poor, turn on your lights — even during the day — and don’t use automated features like cruise control in bad weather. Turning off all the bells and whistles forces drivers to pay attention on the road, Smythe said.Also, carry an old-school paper map rather than relying completely on GPS systems, which may not always have proper connection in some mountainous areas.
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Underestimating the weather and overestimating driving skills
On the Sea to Sky, in particular, weather conditions can change in an instant. Driving through Squamish is often much different than it will be in Whistler and different again from Pemberton. Drivers can leave home in good conditions and have them change along the way.
“Anytime you take a major highway that is going up through any kind of mountains, especially the Sea to Sky — says the name — weather conditions can change dramatically, and they can change very quickly. We want people really consider the weather. Don’t underestimate it,” said Smythe, adding that many folks — especially coming up from the Lower Mainland — aren’t used to driving in snowy conditions and shouldn’t overestimate their skills.
Folks who come from Alberta or Ontario may think they are used to snowy conditions, but they aren’t used to those conditions on the Sea to Sky, said Smythe.
“They aren’t quite as mountainous as we are,” he said. “Sure, there are parts of Alberta that are... but for the most part, the province is very flat. So when they see the problems us British Columbians are having when somebody throws a Slurpee on the road, it does prove to be embarrassing from their point of you... Well, they don’t experience the hills that we have, or the winding roads that we have.”
Smythe added that the snow is different in places that are colder and drier.
Slushy conditions can be deceptive as drivers assume they can push it out of the way like water, but it can be slick, he added.
Further, the Sea to Sky Highway has altitude changes drivers from many other places aren’t used to.
Advice: Drivers should follow the forecast closely and avoid venturing out if it isn’t essential.Finally, Smythe also reminds Sea to Sky drivers to carry an emergency bag with blankets, extra clothes, rain gear, digital flares, batteries and flashlights, a portable battery to charge phones, and food and drinks. As every long-time driver of the highway knows, if a crash shuts down the highway, the wait can seem painfully long. Having these items can make a big difference.
Inspect the bag annually to ensure batteries still work and the food hasn’t passed its best before date, he added.
