DRIVING IN MUD, SAND,
SNOW OR ICE
When you drive in mud, snow, ice
or sand, your wheels won't get
good traction. You can't accelerate
as quickly, turning is more difficult,
and you'll need longer braking
distances.
It's best to use a low gear when
you're in mud - the deeper the
mud, the lower the gear. In really
deep mud, the idea is to keep your
vehicle moving so you don't get
stuck.
Be careful to keep mud from
building up and washing onto
the engine cooling system.
When you drive on sand, you'll
sense a change in wheel traction.
This will depend, however, upon
how loosely packed the sand is.
On loosely packed sand (as on
beaches or sand dunes) your tyres
will tend to sink into the sand.
This has an effect on steering,
accelerating and braking.
Drive at a reduced speed.
If at all possible, avoid sharp turns
or abrupt manoeuvres.
Hard packed snow and ice offer
the worst tyre traction. On these
surfaces, it's very easy to lose
control. On wet ice, for example,
the traction is so poor that you will
have difficulty accelerating. And if
you do get moving, poor steering
and difficult braking can cause you
to slide out of control.
Section 3
.6
CAUTION
Driving on frozen lakes, ponds or
rivers can be dangerous. Under
water springs, currents under the
ice, or sudden thaws can weaken
the ice. Your vehicle could fall
through the ice and you and
your passengers could drown.
Drive your vehicle on safe
surfaces only.
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