Safe driving tricks for when the roads freeze

The tranquility of winter landscapes makes it easy to relax on a weekend outings. It also means increasing awareness of your surroundings to prevent weekend fun from turning into disaster.

Nowhere is that more important than icy climates, which change the way your responds. Mark Cox of the Bridgestone Driving School offers some guidelines for your next visit to the mountains.

"If you go through a corner to fast you can lose control," Cox said. "Vehicles take four to 10 times longer to stop in icy conditions than under normal driving situations."

According to Cox, people who regularly drive through ice and snow should consider winter tires. Tread on standard or all-weather tires can become hard and fail to grip under extreme conditions.

"Snow tires are design to remain pliable in conditions as low as zero or even 10 below," Cox said. "Vehicles respond better when you keep the greatest amount of tread in contact with the road. That means checking your tire inflation is critical."

Here are some Cox's favorite tips for driving in icy conditions:

• Identify problems early. Look far down the road to give yourself more time to react to potential problems. Some studies show that having one more second of reaction time can reduce traffic accidents by as much as 80%, Cox said.
• Easy does it. Steer gently. "The smoother you can be, the less chance you have of losing traction."
• Check tires before traveling. Good tread depth is important for stopping. A snow tire with half the original tread depth is no better than having an all-season tire, Cox said. And an all-season tire with half the original tread depth is like having a standard tire.
• Avoid sharp braking. Remember, ABS brake systems prevent the wheels from locking up when you brake hard. The system doesn't improve grip or prevent sliding on icy roads.
• Accelerate slowly. Quick starts cause tires to spin on icy roads, even if you have the kind of traction control systems common in today's vehicles.

"ABS brakes don't create more braking and traction control doesn't create more traction," Cox said. "The technologies were designed to prevent wheels from locking up when you apply too much braking or to keep wheels from spinning when you give the car too much gas. They don't allow you to drive faster or corner better in icy weather."

For more information visit the Bridgestone Winter Driving School at http://www.winterdrive.com