If you grew up in Northern B.C., winter driving conditions are probably not a big deal. You are probably used to driving close to the speed limit (or slightly above) on the highway during a snowstorm and wondering why people in front of you are going so slow.
I know because I am one of those people in front of you.
Every time I venture outside the boundaries of our town, someone always tailgates me all the way to my destination. These drivers are probably behind my car thinking that a 95-year-old partially blind man is driving. They always look surprised when they pass me and realize the driver was a healthy young man trying his best.
Well, northerners, let me tell you something: winter driving here can be terrifying!
When I was living in Saskatchewan, I also had to endure some winter driving conditions, but when you drive in the prairies, you can go straight for hours without turning left or right (and you can also see a car coming from miles away). It’s great for driving - there are no curves, no mountains, and no lakes you can fall into.
It is certainly a lot more nerve-racking to go downhill when the roads are icy and snowy (and it certainly doesn’t help when someone is behind you yelling because you’re going at 30 km/h with your emergency lights on).
There should probably be a sign behind my car saying: “slow down, it’s his first winter,” or “South American driving, please keep your distance” (I will certainly e-mail ICBC with my suggestions tomorrow).
Last week Burns Lake had a major snowfall (or at least it felt like it). It snowed the entire night (thick and heavy snow), and it continued throughout the day. When I woke up to go to work, I figured it would be okay to drive considering I had winter tires and a four-wheel drive. Well, I should have walked.
There is a little hill in front of my house that leads toward Hwy. 16. When I used the brakes gently, the car kept going downhill toward the highway (I really wish you could see my face in slow motion during this unfortunate event).
I guess that was too much information to handle before my morning coffee, so in a split second I thought the smart thing to do in that situation would be to jump off my car. Yes, I realized how dramatic that idea was as soon as I started to unbuckle my seat belt.
So I pulled the handbrake instead in a desperate attempt to stop the car before it reached the highway.
As soon as I pulled the handbrake, the car started going sideways (which is a good thing because at least I wasn’t moving toward the highway anymore).
Once the car stopped by the side of the road, I did what any dramatic person would and I called for help.
A very kind soul came to pick up the car (and he must have been very confused trying to understand how I went off the road five metres away from my house).
Another tip I heard as soon as I moved to Northern B.C. was to watch out for “black ice” on the road. I must confess I still don’t know what that means, or how black ice even looks like. That tip certainly did a good job making me feel paranoid though - I now assume there will be black ice on every curve.
And, as if we needed any more challenges driving in winter, we also have to watch out for animals crossing the roads here. I think it’s safe to say I won’t be going too far out of town until spring.