Tips on how to stay out of the ditch this winter
Jorge Barrera
Northern News Services
Yellowknife (Jan 10/01) - All it takes is a momentary lapse in concentration.
Maybe it's a quick reach to turn up the volume on the stereo or a tilting of the chin to take a bite out of a hamburger and suddenly the front end of the car is buried in a snow bank.
During the winter roads turn malicious. The ice, the buried yellow line, the increased attraction between ditches and wheels create a volatile relationship between the road and our vehicles.
Cpl. John Milner of the RCMP says winter driving demands 100 per cent attention.
"In these conditions drive, don't talk on the cell phone or pay attention to the kids in the back seat," he said.
Milner says drivers should be sensitive to conditions. Going too fast is one of the biggest reasons for winter accidents.
"Driving too fast gets people into situations they can't get out of," he said.
"You hit soft snow and then you're in the ditch," said Milner.
Mike Elgie, district superintendent for the Government of the Northwest Territories' department of transportation says driving too slow can also cause accidents.
"If you drive too slow and are going up a steep grade you lose traction," he says.
Elgie says heavy trucks are susceptible to losing traction if stuck behind a slow moving car.
But attentive driving is just part of safe winter travel according to Elgie.
"Be prepared for a breakdown," he said.
"Make sure you have food, matches, a hatchet, a tow-chain, survival gear," he said.
Vehicle maintenance is also important. Elgie says cars must have proper winter tires and everything should be in good working order.
Northerners also have ice roads to contend with.
John Zigarlick with Nuna Resources-- which maintains the ice road from Tibbitt Lake to Contwoyto Lake -- says common sense is the best tool for driving on ice roads.
"Reduce speed and don't park in the middle of the road if something happens, move to the right," he said.
Zigarlick also worries about hunters out on the prowl for caribou.
He says parts of the road are crooked and even though a hunter may not see a vehicle there could be one around a bend which could be struck by a bullet.
"People should be careful out there with guns shooting," said Zigarlick.
