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The original was posted on /r/edmonton by /u/lick_ur_peach on 2024-01-09 21:45:17.

Hello everyone. I grew up down in the Lower Mainland back in BC but have been living in Edmonton for the last 10 or so years. I remember my first winter driving here was very daunting and overtime I was since gotten little pieces of driving advice. Since this is the first big snowfall that we’ve had in probably close to a year I figured maybe starting a thread for people to remind others with when it comes to winter driving:

  1. IF YOU DON’T FEEL CONFIDENT, PLEASE DO NOT GET ON THE ROAD.

Being overly cautious (ie: driving on the Whitemud doing 20 km/h) is going to piss people off and someone WILL get hurt. Take a cab. Order using a delivery service. Call in sick. Make rearrangements or reschedule.

  1. IF YOU FEEL OVER-CONFIDENT, PLEASE STAY THE FUCK OFF THE ROAD.

Yes Mr. I-Have-A-Super-Duty-Lifted-4×4-Half-Ton-Pickup-Truck-Driver, I am specifically talking to you. You are not invincible because you have a 4×4. Everyone on the road would like to get to their respective destinations alive. There’s no reason to be swerving between lanes like a fucking lunatic.

  1. ALWAYS ASSUME THE WHITEMUD HAS A SHEET OF BLACK ICE ON IT.
  2. DO NOT SLAM ON YOUR BREAKS. IT WILL NOT END WELL FOR YOU.
  3. DOUBLE YOUR TRAVEL TIME AND ADJUST ACCORDINGLY.
  4. STICK TO ROUTES/ROADS YOU ARE FAMILIAR WITH.
  5. UNDERNEATH OVERPASSES FOR ON-RAMPS MOST ALWAYS WILL HAVE BLACK ICE ON IT.
  6. IF YOU TRY TO STOP SUDDENLY AND ARE UNABLE TO/ABS LOCKS, AIM AND DRIVE YOUR VEHICLE TO WHEREVER THERE IS FRESH SNOW. FRESH SNOW WILL GIVE YOUR TIRES TRACTION.
  7. DO NOT TAILGATE PEOPLE. IF YOU CAN NOT SEE THE BOTTOMS OF THE PERSON IN FRONT YOU’S TIRES, YOU ARE TOO FUCKING CLOSE.
  8. I shouldn’t have to include this one but I will anyway:

GET OFF YOUR PHONE! YOUR LIFE AND THE LIVES AROUND YOU ARE IRREPLACEABLE AND ARE WORTH MORE THAN WHATEVER IS HAPPENING ON YOUR PHONE.

  1. MY SIBLINGS IN CHRIST, PLEASE BRUSH ALL THE SNOW OFF YOUR VEHICLE BEFORE LEAVING. NOBODY WANTS TO DRIVE BEHIND SOMEONE WHO’S VEHICLE IS CREATING A MINI BLIZZARD.

11(A). THIS ALSO APPLIES TO SCRAPING OFF ALL THE ICE ON YOUR VEHICLE/KICKING OUT THE HUNKS OF ICE/SNOW AROUND YOUR TIRE WELLS.

  1. MAKE SURE YOUR VEHICLE IS STOCKED WITH AN EMERGENCY KIT. INCLUDE THINGS LIKE SNACKS/WATER/SNOW BLANKETS/ROAD MARKERS/FLARES (IF YOU ARE NOT IN CITY LIMITS)/A SHOVEL/EXTRA ROAD SALT/TOW ROPES. TOW TRUCK WAIT TIMES CAN QUICKLY GET UP THERE (24 HOURS+).
  2. PREFERABLY KEEP THE FUEL LEVEL IN YOUR VEHICLE ABOVE HALF A TANK AT ALL TIMES. OR AT THE VERY LEAST AS FULL AS FINANCIALLY POSSIBLE FOR YOUR PARTICULAR SITUATION. THIS ALSO APPLIES TO ALL OTHER FLUIDS IN YOUR VEHICLE AS WELL.

I know I didn’t include/or am missing things. Please feel free to comment anything I might have missed. Let’s all drive safe so everyone gets home to their loved ones.