Photo: Facebook screenshot
People who live in areas where it snows during the winter should not be allowed to pass their driving exam before having a go on the slippery white stuff as well.
That's because you may learn how to drive on asphalt, but you have no idea what to do once you come across a snow-covered road. And, guess what, you're going to have to figure it out all by yourself - and while you do that, remember that the trial and error approach isn't really an option this time.
That's because the kind of mistakes you might have made on asphalt and got away with will punish you ten times more severely here. Driving on snow is about fine-tuning your inputs, it's about very thin margins of error and, above all, it is about keeping your cool. Which might sound easy given the conditions outside, but isn't.
Equally important to knowing what to do in certain situations is to know what to avoid altogether. For instance, if you come across a steep downhill slope that's covered in snow, it's better to look for an alternate route. Especially if you're in a very heavy vehicle that will quickly gain momentum once it loses grip. And it will lose grip.
If you absolutely have to do it, there's only one correct way to approach it. Put the car in first gear (if the kind of automatic that doesn't allow to select a gear, just turn around) and slowly tip over the hilltop. Don't accelerate, don't brake, just let the car roll and be assured it won't gain too much speed. And even if were to go faster than you'd like, there's nothing you can do to help now other than focus on steering.
If you do brake, you will essentially turn the vehicle into a sled, and one that can't be steered at that. You will charge down uncontrolled until you either spin, hit something or, if you're lucky, reach the bottom of the hill unscathed, but with a dozen more white hairs on your head.
How exactly did this school bus driver think he could safely navigate down that slope is beyond us. He probably used the "it can't happen to me" mantra and just went on with it. However, when you're driving a bunch of kids around, you might want to use a more responsible approach.
That's because the kind of mistakes you might have made on asphalt and got away with will punish you ten times more severely here. Driving on snow is about fine-tuning your inputs, it's about very thin margins of error and, above all, it is about keeping your cool. Which might sound easy given the conditions outside, but isn't.
Equally important to knowing what to do in certain situations is to know what to avoid altogether. For instance, if you come across a steep downhill slope that's covered in snow, it's better to look for an alternate route. Especially if you're in a very heavy vehicle that will quickly gain momentum once it loses grip. And it will lose grip.
If you absolutely have to do it, there's only one correct way to approach it. Put the car in first gear (if the kind of automatic that doesn't allow to select a gear, just turn around) and slowly tip over the hilltop. Don't accelerate, don't brake, just let the car roll and be assured it won't gain too much speed. And even if were to go faster than you'd like, there's nothing you can do to help now other than focus on steering.
If you do brake, you will essentially turn the vehicle into a sled, and one that can't be steered at that. You will charge down uncontrolled until you either spin, hit something or, if you're lucky, reach the bottom of the hill unscathed, but with a dozen more white hairs on your head.
How exactly did this school bus driver think he could safely navigate down that slope is beyond us. He probably used the "it can't happen to me" mantra and just went on with it. However, when you're driving a bunch of kids around, you might want to use a more responsible approach.
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