So.....for those of you who emigrated a long time ago and those who are preparing for your 2nd winter; have you had accidents whilst driving in winter and was it your lack of knowledge of driving conditions or someone else's mistake?

I drove at the tail end of winter this year (March onwards) so still had lots of snow etc but am worried now that I have a full winter ahead and very little 'winter' driving experience and will be up and down a busy highway twice daily on the commute to work!

Winter tyres are a great help.

Try and stay away from other vehicles!

It's not going to be just you, when the first snow and ice come everyone is all over the place because they're out of practice. As mentioned, defensive driving is important, and if you get the chance check out the local mall parking lot either early or late when there are no cars on it and it's good and slippery and practice a little skid control. It's fun, but be careful not to smash into any light standards, or anything.

No accidents in the winter, surprisingly enough. Most of the winter accidents I have seen are people driving off the road because they think their SUV makes them invincible, spinning/sliding on icy corners because they take them too fast, or going into the back of other vehicles because they're moronic tailgaters.

Came close twice last winter, just sliding along on an icy road with the ABS chattering away and not doing anything much to stop the car. Learned to steer well clear of big trucks at stop lights a couple of years before that, after watching the trailer on one slide into the next lane as it tried to stop on fresh snow.

Edit: oh yeah, and barely missed by some idiot who span their pickup on snow in the Superstore parking lot. Learned not to park at the end of a row of cars.

The only time I have every had an issue was when someone did a lane change thing right in front of me and, in taking avoiding action, I ended up in a ditch. The person that moved into my lane drove away and I spent some moments trying to get my vehicle back onto the highway.

Fortunately, I had 4 wheel drive otherwise I would have been in the shite, Unfortunately, no one would let me back onto the highway so it took much longer than it ought to have taken. Fortunately this all took place on a short stretch of road connecting two portions of a divided highway (highway 22x at the intersection of James Mckevitt)

My observation is that while the first snow falls virtually EVERYONE drives like idiots regardless of experience. Then soon after they get their head around the idea of slowing down and leaving a bit of extra distance and its not too bad.


Im another winter tire advocate, you dont know how much better they make things until you try them, then you wonder why you ever bothered with all seasons in the winter.

IIRC there is a lot of winter driving advice in the wiki section.

Had far less issues driving in the winter in Alberta than i ever had driving in winter conditions in the UK..never had an accident anywhere so far touch wood...road conditions can be far more treacherous in the UK than here i find..pity drivers are shite here..they are far more an issue than the weather TBH.

You shouldn't really threat about driving in winter you just need to adjust your driving habits slightly, Don't rush toward a red light, as someone else suggested go to a parking lot and get used to your vehicle this is a good idea.

Winter tires are good but I believe I read somewhere that statistically people get involved in more accidents driving with them than without (if true, it's not down to the performance of the tires but the sense of security they offer). Remember that they are there to help with and not eradicate the conditions (something to watch out for).

Watch out at stopping/starting points (Red lights/stop signs) other road users can make these points really slick by slipping their tires on the ice by braking or accelerating too hard at these points, I have personally gone through a red light and a stop sign travelling at 0.5 KPH just due to the fact that there is no traction on the ground whatsoever, when I went through the stop sign the thing that stopped me was the car in front (no damage but you never know how the other driver will react)! If I had winter tires at those points I would have most likely stopped as I was driving sensibly but the all weather tires just couldn't cope on the road surface.

After having started this thread, I had to help out two old people who had spun off the road (bald tyres) and flipped their small non 4 wheel drive car onto it's roof and were trapped inside hanging from their seatbelts. I'm glad all my years in healthcare provided me with the ability to help today. Luckily the escaped with only cuts and bruises but it could have been a whole lot worse for them if they hadn't of been spotted in the ditch in minus temperatures!

I observed poor driving and its consequences on my first full day here last weekend.

Coming over the Okanagan Connector (97C) last Saturday, there was snow at the summits and the inevitable 2 rolled cars in the central reserve on one bend. This weekend there's about a foot on the 97C and 5A already!

I didn't feel particularly comfortable in the rental Grand Caravan with its 'M+S' tyres, but just taking it easy and using the engine to slow down rather than the brakes works for me. The Dodge has an appalling accelerator - either 'on' or 'off' at low speeds with no decent sensitivity, making wheel spinning a feature...Fortunately that went back today and was swapped for a Hyundai Elantra for Mrs. Withabix to use.

Coming from Cumbria and my last UK car having been an automatic 2011 Merc C220 Sport Estate complete with rear wheel drive and rubber-band tyres probably helps with the driving skills, as does being a high mileage driver (40K+ miles per year)!!

Fortunately the work truck is a 4x4, although that only has all-seasons on it too, but I doubt it will be venturing out of Kelowna over the winter anyway!

One issue on Canadian roads is that the surface texture of the roads is usually poor in terms of skid resistance to start with and the camber or superelevation on bends, if any, seems to often be tilted the wrong way, making leaving the road on bends far easier than it should be!

I'm looking forward to my Land Rover Defender arriving in 3 weeks time!

Why does a Mercedes estate on low profile tires improve driving skills?

No trips to ski, skate on a frozen lake or venture out of city limits for 4 or 5 months? You'll get cabin fever.


Enjoy the challenge keeping the cab warm in the winter

I wondered about that when driving to Edmonton and back during the summer; there were several bends which seemed to be tilted the wrong way.

May be an issue this winter, but an auxiliary heater is on the project list....

Where in Cumbria? That's where we came from too

I'm looking forward to my Land Rover Defender arriving in 3 weeks time![/QUOTE]

Will your car survive customs?

http://autos.aol.com/article/u-s-bor...rover-defender