FORUM

SNOW DRIVING – THE REAL DEAL

Having had much experience of driving in snow of various sorts, reader Joe Palmer was bemused by the range of comment received online regarding the best way to tackle snow conditions. He says these comments varied “...from good sense, to plain dangerous driving.” This prompted him to weigh in with the full article below…

“In recent years, we no longer experience spring here in South Africa, as we seem to go right into summer conditions in September. However, I read the comments and advice on snow-driving in the September 2018 edition of SA 4x4 with chills running down my spine. The comments varied from good sense, to plain dangerous driving. Even with winter behind us, I still decided to speak out rather than to let it go. I am no expert, but we need to put the correct information out there – even if it is only of good use next winter.

I spent years living in Europe, and I had the privilege of driving in winter conditions in Sweden, Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Romania and Italy. The conditions included soft snow, deep snow, sleet, compact snow, ice, and black ice. These conditions were faced when driving 2x4-, all-wheel drive (AWD), and 4x4 vehicles – sometimes fitted with snow chains, and sometimes not. I am mentioning all of these because you can experience any of these conditions in Lesotho and some of South Africa’s highlands.

Let’s first discuss the suitability of the vehicles.

THE APPROPRIATE VEHICLE

Most 2x4 vehicles are not suitable for these conditions, but