The humourist Dave Barry once wrote “the one thing that unites all human beings, regardless of age, gender, religion, economic status, or ethnic background, is that, deep down inside, we all believe that we are above-average drivers.”
It seems that many drivers in Metro Vancouver seem overly confident in winter conditions, even if their cars are sliding and drifting on the road like something out of a scene from The Fast and the Furious.
“It’s more dangerous out there driving,” Surrey RCMP Cpl. Scotty Schumann said. “Your car is going to slip a lot easier, yet people are still willing to take the risk and this is what just doesn’t make any sense.”
Drivers can also be a little lackadaisical when it comes to clearing the snow off their vehicle before heading out on the road.
“Our officers have stopped people with nothing more than a sandwich plate of an area clear on a windshield,” Schumann said.
WATCH: Common-sense winter driving tips
Cst. Ian MacDonald with Abbotsford Police points out that drivers could face a $109 fine for driving with an obstructed view.
The heavy snowfall expected to hit Metro Vancouver and other regions on Wednesday will likely contribute to ugly rush hour commutes, but there are a few ways drivers can avoid making it worse.
The most important — and perhaps most obvious — rule of winter driving is to slow down.
“I think the one that everybody observes is people are driving as though it were springtime or summer,” MacDonald said. “They’re not leaving a lot of space between them and the car in front of them and they’re not leaving enough braking distance before they get to that intersection.
“So you see a lot of people sliding through and people generally are taking corners way too fast. You can see that when the back end of the vehicle slides out. They need to take speed out of the equation and they need to give themselves some more time.”
MacDonald points out drivers should be prepared for the unexpected. Motorists should try to keep their gas tank full and ensure they have supplies such as warm clothing, blankets, snacks and a fully charged cellphone in case they find themselves in trouble.
Another problem, as Barry points out, is that overconfidence could lead drivers to get careless behind the wheel.
“Our memories are shorter than we think,” MacDonald said. “Even though we have — over the course of the last couple of days — adapted to these current conditions, as soon as they change, we’re going to see relative mayhem on the road.”
– With files from John Hua
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