Tropicana Magazine Jan-Feb 2018 #116: A Start From The Heart

THE DRIVE
When it comes to driving, one of the most difficult conditions to deal
with is snow and ice. All-wheel drive and winter tyres are only one
part of the equation when trying to overcome this.
WORDS BY
ASWAN YAP
f you’ve ever travelled far enough north during the winter
months, chances are you were treated to beautiful snow-covered
sceneries and frozen lakes. It’s picturesque, no doubt, but the
same snow and ice that looks beautiful on a postcard can be
incredibly treacherous when you’re behind the wheel. Advances
in both car and tyre technology have helped a great deal with
making it both easier and safer to drive in these conditions —
but more important than all of that is the training that drivers go through to
better prepare them for the challenge of winter driving.
All the technology in the world can’t fight the laws of physics. In parts of
Europe where snowfall is particularly heavy for a significant portion of the
year, the learning period for a license is far longer as well as far more intensive
in nature, with the aim of teaching new drivers the basics of car control.
Beyond that, the need to deal with these harsh conditions repeatedly, year by
year, helps ingrain the techniques and skills required in the memory.
During one of our recent trips to Sweden we had the pleasure of being
chauffeured by, of all people, a nineteen-year-old girl. She was piloting a bulky
Volvo XC90 SUV, running guests between a ski resort and a restaurant out in
the countryside — and all of this in the dead of night with hardly a streetlight
to guide her way. The way she tackled the iced-over roads running through
the mountains, reacting to loss of traction and grip in such a calm, controlled
manner — it would make even a seasoned driver green with envy.
This teenage girl wasn’t an exception either, at least around that part of
Sweden. It is common for college kids to have to commute great distances,
either to get to class or work, and in the winter months, they simply have
to adapt to the change in conditions. Admittedly, newer, more modern cars
tend to have more technology that helps with keeping the car stable, but not
everyone has access to a new, modern car when the snow starts to fall.
TM | JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2018
116