Brabant will experience snow and slippery conditions on Sunday afternoon and evening. From the west it will snow for some time and one to three centimeters may fall. Locally, a white layer of five centimeters is possible. How do you ensure that you don’t run off the road with your car?
Paul Poppelaars from Blom driving school in Etten-Leur knows how to get home safely. He organizes anti-slip courses and therefore knows exactly what to do if the road is slippery.
“Maybe an open door, but try not to go on the road in the first place,” he begins. “If you really cannot avoid it, it is important that you keep your distance,” Poppelaars adds. “Those few extra meters give you time to react if necessary.”
“If you feel yourself losing traction, let off the throttle and see if you can regain traction.”
But what do you do if you suddenly have to make an emergency stop? For example, if your predecessors suddenly stop.
“Most vehicles now have an anti-lock braking system (ABS), which prevents the wheels from locking during emergency braking, so that the car remains steerable,” says Poppelaars. “So then you can just keep holding the brake. Older cars don’t have an anti-lock braking system, so it is better to pump the brakes.”
“If you feel you are losing traction, let off the gas and see if you can regain traction,” the driving instructor continues. “If that doesn’t work and you are in danger of skidding with your car, it is a matter of pressing the brake and holding the clutch. This creates high braking pressure, which activates the anti-lock braking system.”
“Try to look at the direction you want to go and correct there.”
And then Poppelaars has another tip: “Try to look at the side you want to go in order to correct there. So always steer in the direction you want to go. Because usually when you slide, you go in a different direction.” than intended.”
Black ice in particular is a dangerous factor if you have to go on the road. “You have even less grip on it than on snow,” says Poppelaars. “If snow has not yet been driven on, then the slipperiness is not too bad. Only when it is driven flat does it become slippery and the chance of losing grip is greater.”