{"id":921,"date":"2015-10-16T17:53:27","date_gmt":"2015-10-16T17:53:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.jagbits.com\/techbits\/?p=921"},"modified":"2025-10-16T18:01:33","modified_gmt":"2025-10-16T18:01:33","slug":"winter-driving-tip","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.jagbits.com\/techbits\/winter-driving-tip\/","title":{"rendered":"Why 4-Wheel Drive Won\u2019t Save You on Ice"},"content":{"rendered":"<h3><b>Winter Driving Tip: Why 4-Wheel Drive Won\u2019t Save You on Ice<\/b><\/h3>\n<p class=\"p3\">This week\u2019s tip isn\u2019t strictly about Jaguars, but it\u2019s an important reminder for anyone driving in snow or icy conditions. After last week\u2019s snowfall, I saw three SUVs rolled over within two miles of my neighborhood\u2014<span class=\"s2\"><b>all 4-wheel drive<\/b><\/span>. And I nearly got hit by another one sliding through an intersection.<\/p>\n<p class=\"p4\"><span class=\"s3\">Let\u2019s clear up a dangerous misconception: <\/span><b>4-wheel drive (4WD) doesn\u2019t make you invincible in winter.<\/b><b><\/b><\/p>\n<p class=\"p3\">Yes, 4WD helps you get moving in slippery conditions, like climbing a snowy driveway or crawling out of a snowbank. But once you\u2019re above about <span class=\"s2\"><b>15 mph<\/b><\/span>, that advantage nearly disappears. 4WD <span class=\"s2\"><b>won\u2019t help you stop faster<\/b><\/span>, <span class=\"s2\"><b>won\u2019t improve your steering<\/b><\/span>, and <span class=\"s2\"><b>won\u2019t keep you from skidding<\/b><\/span> on ice.<\/p>\n<p class=\"p3\">In fact, many ice-related crashes involve 4WD vehicles\u2014often far more than their share of total traffic. The reason? <span class=\"s2\"><b>Overconfidence.<\/b><\/span> Too many drivers assume that because their SUV can power through snow, it will handle like it\u2019s on dry pavement. It won\u2019t.<\/p>\n<p class=\"p3\">When I was in the military, part of my job was teaching 4WD and off-road driving. The biggest myth I had to correct was that 4WD equals control. It doesn\u2019t. It only helps you maintain traction at low speeds. Beyond 15 mph, you\u2019re just as likely to slide as anyone else\u2014except now you\u2019re often going faster.<\/p>\n<p class=\"p3\">So here\u2019s the bottom line:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\"><b>Use 4WD to get going<\/b><\/span>, not to drive fast.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\"><b>Slow down early<\/b><\/span>\u2014you\u2019ll need more distance to stop.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li>\n<p class=\"p1\"><b>Don\u2019t trust technology over physics.<\/b><span class=\"s1\"> Ice always wins.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li>\n<p class=\"p1\">And if you\u2019re not driving a 4WD vehicle: <span class=\"s1\"><b>keep your distance<\/b><\/span>\u2014those drivers might not realize their limits until it\u2019s too late.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p class=\"p3\"><span class=\"s2\"><b>Drive smart, stay alert, and respect the road conditions.<\/b><\/span> Your 4WD might help you move, but it won\u2019t help you stop.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Winter Driving Tip: Why 4-Wheel Drive Won\u2019t Save You on Ice This week\u2019s tip isn\u2019t strictly about Jaguars, but it\u2019s an important reminder for anyone driving in snow or icy conditions. After last week\u2019s snowfall, I saw three SUVs rolled over within two miles of my neighborhood\u2014all 4-wheel drive. And I nearly got hit by [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_seopress_robots_primary_cat":"none","_seopress_titles_title":"Winter Driving Tip: Why 4-Wheel Drive Won\u2019t Save You on Ice","_seopress_titles_desc":"This week\u2019s tip isn\u2019t strictly about Jaguars, but it\u2019s an important reminder for anyone driving in snow or icy conditions.","_seopress_robots_index":"","_seopress_analysis_target_kw":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-921","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-jaguar-bits"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.jagbits.com\/techbits\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/921","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.jagbits.com\/techbits\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.jagbits.com\/techbits\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.jagbits.com\/techbits\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.jagbits.com\/techbits\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=921"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.jagbits.com\/techbits\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/921\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":922,"href":"https:\/\/www.jagbits.com\/techbits\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/921\/revisions\/922"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.jagbits.com\/techbits\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=921"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.jagbits.com\/techbits\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=921"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.jagbits.com\/techbits\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=921"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}