Jeff Foster sent in this account of a collision at the Kirkland Costco Tire Center that involved a black Subaru and a tree on November 22nd. Kirkland Fire Department Ladder 26 and Aid Car 22 responded to an accident and took one injured person to the hospital. Jeff sent in these photos which he took with his Blackberry.
This unfortunate incident is an opportunity for us to remember to be safe on the roads.
The Weather Channel is offering a handy online list of Driving Safety Tips for every condition imaginable. Get advice on how to prepare for and stay safe when driving in various weather conditions.
Since here in the Seattle area we are known for our poor driving in snow and ice, here is a list of tips on winter weather driving:
Driving in Snow and Ice
The best advice for driving in bad winter weather is not to drive at all, if you can avoid it.
Don’t go out until the snow plows and sanding trucks have had a chance to do their work, and allow yourself extra time to reach your destination.
If you must drive in snowy conditions, make sure your car is prepared (TIPS), and that you know how to handle road conditions.
It’s helpful to practice winter driving techniques in a snowy, open parking lot, so you’re familiar with how your car handles. Consult your owner’s manual for tips specific to your vehicle.
Driving safely on icy roads
- Decrease your speed and leave yourself plenty of room to stop. You should allow at least three times more space than usual between you and the car in front of you.
- Brake gently to avoid skidding. If your wheels start to lock up, ease off the brake.
- Turn on your lights to increase your visibility to other motorists.
- Keep your lights and windshield clean.
- Use low gears to keep traction, especially on hills.
- Don’t use cruise control or overdrive on icy roads.
- Be especially careful on bridges, overpasses and infrequently traveled roads, which will freeze first. Even at temperatures above freezing, if the conditions are wet, you might encounter ice in shady areas or on exposed roadways like bridges.
- Don’t pass snow plows and sanding trucks. The drivers have limited visibility, and you’re likely to find the road in front of them worse than the road behind.
- Don’t assume your vehicle can handle all conditions. Even four-wheel and front-wheel drive vehicles can encounter trouble on winter roads.
If your rear wheels skid…
- Take your foot off the accelerator.
- Steer in the direction you want the front wheels to go. If your rear wheels are sliding left, steer left. If they’re sliding right, steer right.
- If your rear wheels start sliding the other way as you recover, ease the steering wheel toward that side. You might have to steer left and right a few times to get your vehicle completely under control.
- If you have standard brakes, pump them gently.
- If you have anti-lock brakes (ABS), do not pump the brakes. Apply steady pressure to the brakes. You will feel the brakes pulse — this is normal.
If your front wheels skid…
- Take your foot off the gas and shift to neutral, but don’t try to steer immediately.
- As the wheels skid sideways, they will slow the vehicle and traction will return. As it does, steer in the direction you want to go. Then put the transmission in “drive” or release the clutch, and accelerate gently.
If you get stuck…
- Do not spin your wheels. This will only dig you in deeper.
- Turn your wheels from side to side a few times to push snow out of the way.
- Use a light touch on the gas, to ease your car out.
- Use a shovel to clear snow away from the wheels and the underside of the car.
- Pour sand, kitty litter, gravel or salt in the path of the wheels, to help get traction.
- Try rocking the vehicle. (Check your owner’s manual first — it can damage the transmission on some vehicles.) Shift from forward to reverse, and back again. Each time you’re in gear, give a light touch on the gas until the vehicle gets going.
- More Tips
Sources: National Safety Council, New York State Department of Motor Vehicles, Washington State Government Information & Services
Having worked and studied in Northen Sweden, and driven on winter roads for years, I’d also add that NOTHING beats practice. Take your car up in the mountains, find an empty spot and “feel” how your car handles on slippery surfaces. No need to go fast, but I think it is important to get a feel for a car’s “mass” and how that impacts “road grip” (not the same as traction) on curvy roads.
Most will find that although a large 4×4 SUV might have better (forward) traction, its road grip is “piss-poor” compared to lighter two-wheel or AWD vehicles. You sort of can’t beat physics. Mass is always mass…
Yes, I drive a large SUV, and jokingly say that it only allows you to get further before you get stuck. If I was to drive long distances on wintery roads, I’d likely pick something along the lines of a Volvo, Saab, Subaru, Toyota, etc, (even two-wheel drives) before a heavy and tall 4×4 SUV.
Raraly around here do we get to drive on GREAT winter roads. That is, hard packed snow that is COLD (well below freezing). No sand or salt is needed. I sometimes miss it…:-)
The person who was taken to the hospital as a result of this accident was my cousin. She was 13 weeks pregnant at the time and fainted while she was driving the car due to a pregnancy related complication. She had stopped the car in the parking lot and was about to get out to get some fresh air because she was not feeling well, and let her passenger park the car, and that is when she lost consciousness. She sustained minor injuries but the good news was that no one was seriously hurt, and she, the baby, and her passenger were all ok in the end. While I appreciate the information in this article, this accident had absolutely nothing to do with the weather or with her driving, and our family is just thankful that no one was hurt.
Jazzi,
Thank you for sharing your story with us. A reader sent in this account and photos as a news tip, so we thought it a good opportunity to remind everyone to use extra caution during winter season driving. We are pleased to hear that all are well.
Thanks for your comments.
The presentation of this picture as an example of a driver’s failure to use precaution in bad weather conditions is false and misleading. I was there that day. It was a sunny day, no clouds, no rain, and no ice. The accident was not caused by driver error. If this is an example of the quality of the investigation and work ethic then I hope you have excellent legal counsel because this appears libelous to me.
Hi Darcia Tudor, JD, LMHC, CWM,
Welcome to Kirkland Views. It appears you may have misinterpreted the purpose of the article and Kirkland Views in general. We are an open forum which encourages the free expression of views. The photos and information about the accident were sent to us by an eye witness. No claims were made in the article beyond what the eyewitness sent in to us as a news story.
We posted the photos and then used the incident as a chance to remind drivers to be safe during the holiday season. We posted driving safety tips from the Weather Channel and from The National Safety Council. The purpose of the article was clearly to remind drivers to be safe on the roads and in winter weather conditions.
The purpose was not to imply driver error in an accident reported by an eyewitness. There was no intent to imply anything about the weather conditions when the accident took place. For the record, your statement, “the presentation of this picture as an example of a driver’s failure to use precaution in bad weather conditions is false and misleading” is incorrect. The picture was not an example of anything other than an incident someone witnessed. It took place on November 22nd and so we thought it a good time to provide a public service and remind readers about safe driving tips.
I have spoken with many people regarding this article and you are the first to conclude that it was libelous, intentionally misleading, and an example of poor investigation and ethic quality. Most people were just happy to have a reminder to keep safe on the roads and to learn that everyone was safe in this accident. Oh well, I guess they were not lawyers.
Of course, I am not a lawyer so the subtleties of libel laws are not my purview.
I thank you for your sage advice.
Hi Darci,
I can’t identify ownership of the SUV in the photos, are you certain of YOUR facts or are you breaking attorneyy/client confidentiality?
(We’re big on that here in Kirkland.)
Sincerely,
John Michael Gilday, SOB, PDQ, LOL, POS
Darcia,
I can assure you Rob has no malice in mind as he is reminding all of us to be careful while driving. Sounds like good advice to me.