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SLIPPERY ROADS

Winter time in Kainuu, temperature -30 °C

In Finland driving in winter might be challenging. You must drive suitable situation speed. Also get ready for winter in good time before the winter start. Make sure that you have enough time to travel and don´t plan too tight schedule.

pageDriving in Winter 2

For Winter drivingWinter tyres

Electronic control devices 8Emegency braking 9Snow plow 11B13 Think 12

Overtaking on a slippery road is not clever

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DRIVING IN WINTER

Roads might be very slippery just before a junction area. Often drivers slow down their driving speed too late and only way to get the speed down is powerful braking. When many drivers always brake in same place, the road surface is polishing more and more slippery everytime. Also if tires skidding when move off the road is getting more slippery.

If you can't see the speed limit sign, you have to guess the limit. On a highway in winter time limit is most likely 80km/h or less. City street the limit should be always less than 60km/h.

Winter cause difficulties:– Roads are slippery– Snowing cause visibility problems– You might find difficult to see road

markings and traffic signs under the snow– Streets in cities might get narrow– Snowbank infront of junctions disturb

visibility in city area

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SLIPPERY ROAD

Often the icy surface is not steady, but the grip is different every where

Often slippery road surprise the driver. Winter morning when you walk to your car, test how slippery the road is. Just slide shoe on the ice.

Black ice is just very thin slippery surface on the asphalt. Especially in Northern Finland there mightbe some black ice already beginning of wall time. Also in south roads might get icy in September at night time. Often this time people still drive with summer tires. Deck of the bridge might get some black ice because cold air get under the bridge.

Black ice is common problem already beginning of fall time

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BLOWING SNOW

Sometimes it is best to stop and clean snow from behind of your car. Also you should remove snow around oftires and inside of wheels. Drive suitable speed and keep long safety distance so you can safely to stop your car if something weird happen suddenly. On a big highway with many lanes, do not drive next to another vehicle.

23 § Situational speed

Driver must keep suitable situation speed that he can always stop vehicle on a visible distance ahead.

Use the back fog light so drivers behind you can see you and risk for rear-end collision is smaller. Also driver have to manually switch on driving lights when weather is getting bad. If you drive with day time lights on, in most cars back lights are off.

Make sure that back lights are on when you drive on a snowy road

Us

BACK FOG LIGHT

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FOR WINTER DRIVING

Windscreen cover help to keep windscreen clean of the ice

Equipments for winter driving:– Cover for window– Engine block heater (electric or fuel heater)

– Snow brush and window scraper– Shovel– Warm clothes, if you have some

unpleasant surprises

Use engine block heater whentemperature is +5c degrees or colder

Engine block heater help you to save fuel and environment. It is much more comfortable to get in warm car. When you start an cold engine, it damage the engine as you would drive normally about 500 – 1000km. Catalytic converter of car does not clean all exhausts when the engine is cold.

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FOR WINTER DRIVING

Motor cover help the engine to warm up quicker

Motor cover viimasuoja might help to increase temperature in engine coolant system quicker to reach normal level. If the engine is cold, also inside the car temperature can´t increase up.

De-Icer melt the ice from Windscreen

Anti freeze lock oil help if lock system is frozen. Don´t use lock oil continuously, it might oxidize the lock system.

Don´t use anti-ice liquid for fuel. Anti-ice liquid might harm the engine of the new car. Today 95E gasoline include 10% ethanol and 98E include 5% ethanol. Ethanol is very inflammable liquid and it burn also in cold weathers.

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WINTER TYRES

Most drivers in Finland use studded winter tires in winter time

You must use winter tires in December, January and February There are two types of winter tires. Studded tires nastarengas and non-studded tires also might called friction tires kitkarengas. You can recognise winter tires form this sign:

You are allowed to use studded tires from beginning of November to end of March or one first Monday after the Easter Monday. Depending which one later.It´s allowed to use studded tyres always when weather conditions require to use winter tires. So also at summer time you can use studded tyres if there snowing out side.

Non-studded winter tires have more small groovesthan summer tires and are also softer. It is not recommendable to use non-studded tires at the summer time, because warm weather might harm tires and tires melt down.

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ELECTRONIC CONTROL DEVICES

ABS brake help you to steer the car at the moment when you have to brake

With ABS brake you can steer the car even duringyou are braking. Controlling the car in emergency situation is much easier. Remember that the car with ABS does not stop any shorter distance than with out ABS. ABS brakes are mandatory in all new cars in EU after 2008. Yellow ABS warning light indicates if there is problem with ABS system. You can still drive but you should fix brakes as soon as possible.

ASR/TC traction control help you to move off from slippery surface. Traction control stop tires toskidding when you press too much the accelerator.Traction control cut down some power or brake tires to move slower.

ESP/ESC electronic stability control help the driver when he make mistake. For example when the car slide side ways as driver turn too much the steering wheel, ESC fix the situation by braking one of tires. This way the car won't skid completely sideways for example when you change a lane.

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EMERGENCY BRAKING

If driving speed is too fast, you might find impossible to stop the car before the accident

In emergency situation you have to react early so you have chance to stop the car. Averagely reaction time for humen is about 1 to 2 seconds. Ifyou are tired reaction time might be much longer.

Braking distance variate in different weathers. Road surface is sometimes much more slippery. Condition of tires and brakes effect how far the car will stop.When you do emergency braking, you can hear noice from ABS brakes. Like metal scratching metal. Also the brake pedal shakes.

Stopping distance include reaction distance and braking distance

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EMERGENCY BRAKING

In situation when you must stop instantly, you can press down both pedals as quickly as possible

Powerfull emergency braking is very easy to do. Hit the brake pedal and the clutch pedal down at the same time. Use so much power as you can to get pedals down. You might feel how the ABS brake system effect, as the brake pedal won´t get completely down. You can also feel some shaking with the brake pedal and the metal kind of sound.

You must do similar movement with both of your foots. Normally when you drive you have your left foot on a resting place, left side of the clutch. And the right foot is on an accelerator pedal. In emergency situation you must quickly move both foots colser together and kick clutch and brake pedals down. In a car with automatic transmissionjust kick down the brake pedal.

Kick down the brake and the clutch pedal at the same time

CLUTCHBRAKE

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SNOWPLOW TRUCKWhen you drive on a highway and you reach the snowplow truck in front, it is safer to follow it. Overtaking the snowplow truck is dangerous because visibility is bad. You can't see on coming traffic. The time to spend behind the truck is oftenquite short. Driver of the snowplow truck might have to clean a bus stop. Often that happen so quickly that you can't overtake the truck. Watch how he use indicator. Signal to right = you can overtake. Signalto left =do not overtake.

When you meet the snowplow truck slow down your driving speed. Brake down your speed beforeyou are next to the truck. If you brake too late, the driver behind you might crash back of your car.

Slow down before you are next to the snowplow truck

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B13 THINK

1. How you should prepare for winter driving• Before you drive?• While you drive?

2. When you must use winter tires?

3. When it is allowed to use studded winter tires?

4. How ABS -antilocking brake system help the driver? ▪ Can you drive if yellow ABS warning light is on?

1. Before the driving: Clean snow and ice. Check

condition of tires, driving lights and make sure that the car is ready for winter driving. Also make sure that you have enough time to travel. While you drive: Drive suitable situation speed. Don't hurry! Avoid all quick movements.

2. Winter tires (non-studded and studded tires) are mandatory from December to February. Marked with M+S or snow flake mountain sign.

3. Studded tires you can use from November to Marchor first Monday after the Easter Monday. Studded tires harm asphalt.

4. ABS -brake system allowed you to steer the car at the same time when you do emergency braking. Yellow ABS light show that electric ABS helping is not working. But you can still drive. Fix the car as soon as possible.

Remember to do trainings