The Savannah-Chatham Metropolitan Police Department offers the following tips from its training unit on driving in wintry conditions:

Driving tips:

· Adjust speed to match road conditions: Decreasing speed will allow more time to respond when a difficult situation arises. Remember, posted speed limits identify the maximum speed allowed when weather conditions are ideal.

· Anticipate difficult situations: 80 percent of accidents could be prevented with one more second to react. In many situations, this second can be gained by looking far enough down the road to identify problems before you become a part of them. If someone is too close behind, don’t speed up; instead, slow down and let them pass.

·Use grip effectively: When roads are slippery, use all of the grip available. Brake only before a curve when the car is traveling straight. Taking your foot off the brake before you steer into the curve allows you to use all of the grip available for steering. Do not brake or accelerate in a turn during icy/snowy conditions.

· Keep smooth, progressive and light touches on the brakes for normal braking: Even in a car equipped with ABS (anti-lock braking system), in an emergency in an ABS equipped car, press the pedal hard and hold it down. Remember that in an ABS equipped car, you can also steer around many obstacles while braking. ABS allows you to brake and steer. If you feel your vehicle is floating, gradually slow down. Don’t slam on brakes.

·Keep both hands on the wheel: Position your hands at the “9 and 3 o’clock” positions on the steering wheel and utilize the shuffle steering method. This will provide more flexibility when steering through snow and ice. If you do lose control of your vehicle, steer into the skid — (if rear wheels are skidding to the right, steer to the right.)

Power lines:

·Stay away from downed power lines:Always assume a power line is life-threatening.

·Keep all humans and animals away.

·Do not attempt to remove a person or animal caught in power lines.

·Do not attempt to remove tree limbs or any other object from a downed line.

·If you see a downed line, call the city’s 311 service to contact Georgia Power.

·Never drive over a downed line or under a low-hanging line:

·Stay away from any vehicle touched by a fallen power line.

·If a power line hits your car while you’re inside, stay put and wait for help.

·If the car catches fire, then jump clear without touching metal and the ground at the same time. Shuffle away keeping both feet on the ground.