Photo: T.Den_Team (Shutterstock)
A car is a great thing to have when you live somewhere cold and snowy: You are toasty and warm inside the vehicle and only need to face the elements for a few minutes after parking. As someone who left her car, but not the snow, behind when moving cross-country, I really miss the luxury. What I don’t miss is having to get the car out of ice and snow when it gets trapped. You probably know about sprinkling down sand or digging around your tires to help you escape, but here are some other less common ways to get unstuck.
Use the car’s floor mat
You can lay cardboard down in front of your tires to help give them enough traction to get out of an icy or snowy spot, sure, but do you always have cardboard with you? And do you want to walk through the snow to find some? No. What you do have are the mats under your front seats. Dig away as much snow as you can, then wedge a mat in front of whichever wheel is spinning so it can get the traction and freedom it needs.
Take it down a gear
Patience is everything when you’re trying to get unstuck—according to Bob Vila, you have a better chance of breaking free of your cold rut if you lower the gear and accelerate slowly to get a little traction. Be sure to toggle off your traction control, too, because as counterintuitive as that is, the function will kick in if your wheels start slipping—but you need them to slip right now. Just turn it back on once you’re free. Finally, try turning your wheel through this process so your tires can find some fresh snow to grip. Crank it one way or the other as you slowly accelerate on your low gear with no traction control and remember to go slowly lest you lurch forward or dig yourself deeper.
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Take some air out of the tires
According to Lee Schwab Tires, you can take a drastic step to free your car: Take some air out of the tires, but just enough so they look visibly lower. Only do this if you are positive you can refill them someplace nearby so you’re not dangerously driving around on under-inflated tires; but in case of emergency, this should help you at least get free from the snowy trap you’re in.
Avoid this happening again
The best defense is a good offense, of course. First, don’t use cruise control when it’s slippery or snowy outside, as your car may automatically try to get back up to its set speed after hydroplaning or slipping, which can result in unpredictable movements.
Second, make sure your car is prepared for winter. Yes, it already is winter, but we have a few potentially nasty weeks left, so it wouldn’t hurt to pick up some tire chains, get your car aligned, and pack a safety kit. Here’s what you need to know.
