- Before I left, I checked the website of my city to see if our snow plow fleet was in good condition. It allowed me to plan a route which was more difficult but also less risky.
- I also checked Twitter. The references to “my street”, however, were not helpful. Sometimes data is not reliable enough to be used in risk management decisions.
Equipment and Materials Some years we don’t get a huge blizzard at all. It can get very severe in other years. How can we reduce this risk with equipment and materials?
- We have 4×4 trucks, snow blowers and shovels.
- We also own small cars, but we don’t drive them when it’s like this!
- So that we don’t freeze to death if we get stuck, we keep winter survival gear in our cars.
- When it gets bad, we throw shovels or chains to help others who are stuck in the snow.
- We ensure that our cell phones are fully charged, and that the gas tank is full.
Contingency I made sure that there was enough space between me, the car in front of me, and the car in front of me. I wanted plenty of space to react in case the vehicle to my side slides. If I could, I would accelerate or slow down slightly to ensure we were not directly across from one another. There were 2 reasons why I had to leave space in front.
- I wanted plenty of space so that I could stop slipping when I tried to stop, and have enough room to control the vehicle in front of my.
- I wanted plenty of space so that I could move into the buffer and avoid a collision with a vehicle behind me.
Attention and Feedback I wouldn’t have used the buffer if it wasn’t for my vigilantes. I had to make sure that all information channels were open. I could immediately see if there was anything wrong and what it was. In many cases, I responded with an action I had planned.
- So I could see what was happening around me, all my mirrors and windows were clear of ice and snow.
- To prevent fogging of the side windows and wind shield, I kept the defroster in place.
- To make sure they didn’t start sliding, I made sure to keep an eye on the cars behind me as I came to a halt.
- I also paid attention to cars around me so I could react if any of them started sliding or changed lanes at the last moment.
Method of Operations I finally drove the truck in a way that minimized my risk of being on a bad road.
- I drove slowly and carefully.
- It was gradual to stop it from sliding.
- To see the upcoming obstacles and other potential problems, it is important to look ahead more than usual.
- I stayed on 2-lane roads and the
