Winter road trip is always popular during Christmas and New Year holidays that offers great flexibility with stunning snow view along the journey. However, snow driving could be dangerous. Here are some safety tips on snow driving to help you drive safely in your winter road trip!
Before Driving
| Use studless winter tires | Studless winter tires are designed for use on snow and ice with greater traction. Most car rental companies offer studless winter tires during winter period. Drivers should pick a car equipped with studless winter tires. |
| Remove the accumulated snow from your car | Before driving, you should remove snow from your car, especially roof, window, hood and lights to ensure visibility and prevent accidents. Snow shovels can be found in supermarkets to help you remove snow from your car. |
| Remove snow from your shoes | Drivers may ignore the snow on the soles of shoes. When wearing snow-stained shoes and stepping on the accelerator, brake or clutch pedal, there is a risk of slipping and may increase the risk of accidents. |
| Plan your route | Snow driving may require longer travelling time, you should plan for additional time for the road trip. When planning your route, you should choose to drive on main roads as there are usually snow plow trucks on the main roads to remove snow, in order to prevent being trapped in roads with heavy snow. |
| Wear sunglasses when needed | Snow will increase the reflection of ultraviolet light and may cause snow blindness when drivers keep an eye on the road for a long time. Therefore, drivers should wear sunglasses as appropriate to maintain a good eyesight. |
Driving
| Understanding Black Ice | Black ice is a coating of glaze ice on the road because of melting and re-freezing of snow which is invisible to drivers. There is a risk of slippage and may cause accident due to unexpected loss of traction. |
| Drive slowly | Vehicles may easily lose control on slippery snow, therefore, you should drive slowly and avoid sudden accelerate, brake or cut off. |
| Increase your follow distance | Unexpected accidents may happen during snow driving, therefore, you should leave more space between your car and the car in front of you to allow more room to deal with any accidents in the surrounding vehicles. |
| Handle a skid calmly | If your car begins to skid due to low tires traction, you should avoid sudden braking. Stay calm and take your feet off the pedals and let your car slow down. Turn the steering wheel back to the correct direction until your car stop skidding. |
| Use rubber floor mat when needed | Your car may stuck in snow while snow driving. You can try to place a rubber floor mat under the tires when the car is stuck in snow, which helps to gain traction and to get away from snow. |
| Leaving windshield wipers up | After arriving at the destination, if you need to stop for a long time, you should leave the windshield wipers up to prevent ice buildup on the rubber squeegee from freezing on the windshield. It is also easier to remove snow from the windshield before driving. |
Need to apply for an international driving permit for your coming trip?
To facilitate drivers to apply for international driving permits, the Transport Department has launched the online application service. Users of "iAM Smart+" or eligible applicants holding a valid personal digital certificate may complete the application entirely online via the GovHK website. The international driving permits will normally be sent to the applicant by registered post within 10 working days for successful application, without the need to visit the Licensing Offices in person!
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