What to Do When Your Car is Stuck in the Snow
When skiing, sledding, or making angels, snow is a delightful gift from the heavens above. When your tires continuously spin without going anywhere or you’re using a shovel to uncover your car and sweating bullets in freezing temperatures, snow is a relentless beast. Here are a few tips to help you conquer winter’s snowfall and advice on what you should do when your car is stuck.
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Slow down
Speed is not your friend when the snow has trapped your car. In other words, don’t hit the gas.
“This will just dig into the snow deeper and make it harder to get out,” says The Drive writer Chris Teague.
Plan ahead
Don’t be shortsighted with your plans to get unstuck from the snow. You’ll need to figure out not only how to get your car unstuck but also clear a path to prevent getting sidetracked again.
Stay calm
Even though being stuck warrants a freak-out or at least a few choice words, it’ll just waste the energy you need to dig out of the snowy situation. Keep calm (as much as you can) and get to work. Plus, if you’re calm, it’ll be easier to communicate with whomever you’re calling for help or with the good Samaritan who stops by to assist you, notes Teague.
Ask for help
Many hands make light work and removing your car from the snow is serious work. You won’t win any prizes for shouldering the burden alone, and in some cases, you may not be able to get your car unstuck by yourself. When it’s possible, reach out for help, advises Teague.
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Once your car is free and you are able to get back on the road, keep a level head. Yes, it was a stressful ordeal and now you are eager to get where you’re going, but for your safety and the safety of others temper your emotions a bit.
DeAnn Owens is a Dayton transplant by way of the Windy City, yet considers herself to be a California girl at heart even though she’s only visited there once. To get through the dreaded allergy season unique to the Miami Valley, she reads, writes, complains about the weather, and enjoys spending time with her husband, two sons, and their newest addition, a Boston terrier puppy that is now in charge of all their lives. In the future, she hopes to write a novel and travel through time. See more articles by DeAnn.