COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KOAA) — When your car hits an icy patch and starts to skid, staying calm and knowing the right techniques could save your life.
Kevin Hughes, owner of American Driving Academy, says some drivers don't take winter conditions seriously until they experience it firsthand.
"It really takes that first spin out that they do or scary situation before it kind of wakes them up to slow down," Hughes said.
Thursday morning, a News5 photographer caught video of a driver who hit an icy road. We asked what Hughes thought about the footage.
"Because the wheels aren't moving at all, the driver's definitely not going to be able to generate any traction going in the direction that they want to go," Hughes said. "So the driver's kind of at the mercy of the hill and the ice. And so I would have liked to see them just gently hit the gas just a little bit, get those wheels moving in a forward direction slowly."
When driving conditions aren't ideal, Hughes recommends three key strategies: go slow, increase following distance, and stay alert.
"You want to be able to predict hazards in front of you so that way you're not reacting at the last second, doing jerky movements or again slamming on the brakes," Hughes said.
During a demonstration of winter driving techniques, Hughes showed how to handle different types of skids. For a forward skid, he kept the wheel straight and maintained pressure on the brake pedal.
If your car starts to swerve, the technique is different.
"When you find yourself in a side skid, you want to turn the steering wheel in the direction that the back end of your car is skidding, and so if it's skidding to the right, then you want to turn your wheel to the right," Hughes said. "And then once your car starts to straighten out, you quickly want to straighten your wheel. You don't want to keep straightening it so far where now you're going the other direction, because then you're going to start fishtailing where you go to the right, to the left, and you'll never get out of the skid."
Hughes emphasizes being over-prepared rather than under-prepared for winter driving conditions. He keeps an emergency kit in his car with jumper cables, a blanket, snow shovel, snacks and drinks.
Additional safety tips include using low beams instead of high beams when it's snowing, as high beams can reflect off snowflakes and reduce visibility.
Hughes said the most important factor in winter driving is maintaining composure when conditions become dangerous.
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