Snow covered roads (Photo Credits: Unsplash)
Jax Marsh, Staff Writer to The Powderhorn
The winter weather affecting Watauga County has recently caused hazardous road conditions, leading parents to worry about their teenagers driving to school or their extra curricular activities. Dustin Ford, an autotech teacher at Watauga High School, offers valuable insight for students on days when the roads are covered in ice or snow.
Mr. Ford has been an important member of Watauga Autotech for many years.
“I was a mechanic over down at Mr. Tire before it was Clark Tire,” Ford said. “I did that professionally for five years before coming up here.”
Mr. Ford believes that preparation is key to avoiding driving incidents in the snow, explaining that the ideal timeline for preparation would be months before winter weather sets in.
“The most important thing would be before the 20 degree [weather] and the snow hits is make sure your car's in good condition, have maybe a mechanic look at it, or you can go to one of the park stores and have them check it over to make sure that your battery is going to be good for the upcoming temperatures because it has a big effect on it,” Ford said. “Make sure that you've got good clothes in there, along with a good jacket, a toboggan, a pair of gloves, and good shoes.”
ABS (Anti-lock Braking System) helps prevent skidding on icy roads. Mr. Ford advises that drivers have to respond calmly and avoid abrupt braking if their car starts to skid in order to take advantage of the system.
“ABS has come a long way to where it tries to help you get some sort of traction in these conditions, but if possible stay off the brakes because a free rolling wheel is gonna be better for being able to actually drive out of that situation, than trying to lock that wheel up on it,” Ford said. “And where if it does lock up, then it’s just sliding on the ice. And so if you can stay off the brakes to where you're able to try and keep that momentum— a lot of it is just hoping you can out-maneuver it.”
Mr. Ford has experienced driving accidents in the snow and believes it is critical to be prudent and cautious while driving.
“I’ve wound up in a couple of ditches and things like that, and you know, spinning around the road or what have you; it doesn't matter the condition, even dry good pavement if you're just going too fast for what your tires are able to handle, like I said, tires is a big part of it,” Ford said. “If you get in those conditions, have good family friends or friendly neighbors who may have an extra vehicle that could come and pull you out.”
Above all, Mr. Ford has one key tip to help drivers manage times of low visibility and snow-covered roads.
“If you feel like it is going to be a slick situation, you don't have to go to the speed limit,” Ford said. “Keep your speed at a level where you feel safe or comfortable for the driving conditions of the road.”
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