Van Beek: Navigating I-70 in a snow globe

With the holidays kicking off today, let’s make it safely through the entire season. As an adventurous group, we enjoy our winter sports, but the most dangerous activity of the season is driving. And, while magic is in the air, distracted drivers are on the interstate.

Winter driving is part of mountain living. You may want to practice driving in an empty parking lot, just as you did as a kid, to refresh your ability to navigate icy conditions. However, despite our expertise, with perception sometimes outweighing ability, we cannot always predict the actions of others, black ice on the roads, nocturnal wildlife, brakes and ice not cooperating, or snow and rocks ski racing down the mountain onto the road as rock slides and avalanches. 

In addition to specialized driving skills, safety requires cars to be adapted to handle winter’s challenging conditions. 

• A vehicle designed for challenging roads, such as an AWD or 4WD is preferable, but you can still navigate, with added caution, a 2WD.
• All-season tires sound appealing, and if you have nowhere to store seasonal tires, it may be your only option, but all-season tires are not designed for five months of winter conditions. Yet, a snow tire will not survive the heat of summer due to its structure, so if you are stuck with one set, make it the best you can afford … lives depend on it.  Aside from winter tread design, snow tires have a different composition than summer or all-weather tires. The rubber of a snow tire is softer, allowing it to grip the road/snow/ice better. The all-season tire will freeze (harden) quicker in the cold, making it more slippery than on dry pavement. If you must use an all-season, allow extra room for stopping and making turns. Be sure to regularly check your tire pressure to help avoid blowouts.  The altitude and cold weather will cause variations that will impact performance. Each 10-degree drop in temperature can mean a 1-pound loss in air pressure.
• Change your wiper blades and purchase the best your budget can afford. Extreme temperatures of winter can stiffen old or inexpensive blades, making them OK in rain but useless in snow, often causing blinding smears of road splashes. Regularly check your windshield fluid. During the winter, you will quickly go through lots of it.
• Check your battery. Winter places added stress on batteries due to freezing temperatures. At 32 degrees Fahrenheit, a car battery loses about 35% of its strength; at 0, it loses up to 60%.  
• Change your oil. Cold temperatures can alter the flow of motor oil, as it causes higher viscosity oils to thicken, making it difficult to lubricate the engine, potentially causing a much costlier repair.  Therefore, when your mechanic talks about winterizing your car, it usually includes changing out your motor oil to a lower viscosity for freer flow. 
• Antifreeze is critical for driving in freezing temperatures. Using water will cause problems, as water freezes, making it impossible to circulate and cool the engine, and can expand and cause cracks in the system. While some cars require specialty coolants, most can take a “multi-vehicle” grade. 
• Check belts, hoses, wires, and cables, for cracks and leaks, as well as lubrication. Cold temperatures weaken these, and hoses can become brittle over time. It’s a simple and generally inexpensive fix that if ignored, can leave you stranded for hours in freezing conditions. 
• Check your brakes. During winter, we often “ride” our breaks, wearing them out quickly. If brake pads are thin, they will often squeak. Listen for that sound, as pad replacement is cheaper than a hospital bill.
• Check all the car’s fluids, weekly. It only takes a few minutes and can save you hours if your car malfunctions, not to mention dollars in auto repairs. Carry extra coolant and windshield wiper fluid in the car, just in case you underestimate your reserve. 
• The speed limit may say 75 MPH but even an all-wheel-drive car can’t help you when sliding on ice at warp speed. A curvy road prompts caution but so do straight roads. Your car can hit a patch of ice that causes a tailspin and you can end up in a ditch, or worse yet, in front of an approaching vehicle or truck. Slow it down.
• Steep hills can create special challenges. You are dealing with the massive weight of a vehicle succumbing to gravity, and potentially accelerating down a slippery, sometimes winding road.  Approach those roads in a lower gear, for greater control, so that you don’t have to “ride” your brakes, which can overheat. If you do begin skidding, steer in the direction of the skid to minimize spin. 
• Remember that bridges and overpasses freeze first. Try not to accelerate. Also, reduce the use of brakes while on a bridge, as those sudden changes can cause you to tailspin, perhaps right off the bridge.
• Don’t use cruise control in snowy or icy conditions, you have quicker reaction times without it. 
• Corners are notorious for hidden patches of ice in crevasses, use extreme caution.
• Keep the gas tank at least half-full at all times to avoid freezing fuel lines. 
• Make sure headlights and taillights are clean. 
• Keep a winter survival kit in the car (first-aid kit, snow brush with ice scraper, flashlight, extra batteries, road flares, tool kit and duct tape for mini repairs, portable phone charger, extra clothing including gloves and hat, space blanket, jumper cables, small shovel, and fire extinguisher). 
• A mixture of 1/3 water and 2/3 rubbing alcohol in a spray bottle may be useful as a deicer. 

Every accident, especially the ones with no survivors, was driven by someone who woke up that morning, totally unaware that they would be dead by nightfall. Don’t let that be your holiday legacy. 

Preparation will set the stage for a safe and wonderful holiday season. Happy Thanksgiving from the Eagle County Sheriff’s Office.

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James van Beek is the Eagle County sheriff. You can reach him at james.vanbeek@eaglecounty.us.