If you’re in one of the places in the world that never has snow, ice, or typical winter weather, good for you. You can sit there and make smug noises while the rest of us learn useful information. There are a lot of common myths about driving in the winter that people accept as true, but probably shouldn’t. Here are a few of them.
The readers of our estranged gearhead ex-sibling site Jalopnik suggested ten myths about winter driving that would make us all safer and happier if they would just die already. (Head over there to read the rest, but please clean your windshield off first.)
People in wintery climates know how to drive in snow. This is not true.
Extensive observation (i.e. sometimes I leave the house in a car) shows that not only is this the case, but people in northern climates also forget how to drive in snow and ice whenever it hasn’t snowed in a month or more. We are, perhaps, a little better at everyone else at brushing snow off cars in an efficient manner, but even that isn’t always the case. Some people even believe….
You don’t need to remove the snow from the roof of your car. What is wrong with you? Of course you do. Leaving a towering snowhawk on top of your car only seems like a time-saver until you have to stop suddenly and it showers down on another motorist, your windshield, or your back window.
Under-inflating your tires helps with traction. This seems like it would work, but isn’t true.
Having an all-wheel-drive vehicle and/or an SUV makes you invincible. No, and if you act like it does by pretending there is no snow or ice on the ground, something bad will happen.
Ten Absurd Winter Driving Myths That Need To Die [Jalopnik]
by Laura Northrup via Consumerist