Best two-word advice is familiar: 'Slow down'
By Kelsey Watts, KTVZ.COM
It's one of the most dangerous things you can do, and most of us do it every single day: getting behind the wheel.
Especially in snow and ice, that quick trip to the grocery store, or dropping your kids off at school, can quickly turn into a nightmare of twisted metal and broken glass - a scenario Deschutes County's "skid car" class tries to prevent.
"The most dangerous thing you're going to do every day in Deschutes County is drive your car," said Michael Johnston, the skid car instructor. "We have less than five homicides a year, but we kill 20 people in car crashes."
Add in Crook and Jefferson counties, and the number climbs. Just last winter, from November through March, 195 people were hurt in snow- and ice-related crashes. Twelve in our tri-county area were killed - each and every one a parent, child, friend.
Johnston's been teaching the county's skid car class for the last 2 1/2 years, and in that time, he's taught more than 500 people the basics of controlled driving.
"If you do the things we talk about today, the car will go exactly where you want it to go, every time," he explained. "It may not be the most direct path, but you can get it there."
The course begins with an hour of classroom training, learning how the car's weight shifts when you hit the brake, gas, or turn, and how the faster you go, the less your tires touch the road.
"At 90 miles an hour, you have a contact patch about as long as your thumb, and as wide as your thumb. That's it," Johnston explained.
After learning some of the basic principles, it's time to hit the road.
The skid car sits on a specially designed hydraulic frame. From a computer inside the car, the instructor electronically controls how much contact the tires have with the road. The less contact, the more driving on pavement feels like driving on a sheet of ice.
This same technology is used by the FBI, CIA, and Secret Service, and three hours of the class is spent on the track.
"I can make it slicker and slicker. Right here, if you get about here and think, 'Oh, I'm driving too fast,' and put on the brakes, it just spins around even faster," Johnston said as we came around a corner.
Then it was my turn to get behind the wheel. On my first few turns, I was pretty cautious. But it didn't take long to feel more comfortable steering, braking and handling slides.
We practiced front and back skids, driving between the cones, and doing big figure 8's, all the while keeping in mind: Look where you want the car to go, and never slam on the brake or gas while you turn.
As Johnston explains, you can still brake when you're driving on ice, as long as you're wheels are straight. Hitting the brakes or gas very hard while turning will send you into an out-of-control spin.
Johnston says when you're used to Central Oregon winters, you become almost too familiar behind the wheel, sometimes forgetting the dangers.
"In November, everybody's real careful," he said. "But by February, they're starting to get a little blasé about it."
The biggest lesson on the road for this or any winter is one we've all heard before:
"Slow down," Johnston said. "I can't emphasize that enough. When it's slick outside you need to slow down."
The skid car class isn't just for winter driving; it's a year-round training tool used by police and county employees. Deschutes County's is the only skid-car training program in Central Oregon, and it's been open to the public since 2001.
Upon completing the training, you get a certificate, and several insurance companies offer lower rates for taking the class.
For more information on the class and how to sign up for it, click here.
