Car Stuck in Snow? - here's what to do

When you have a car stuck in snow, you have a problem. Let's not be concerned about how you got it stuck, let's just focus on how to get it out of the deep snow on your own.

Here's what you can do to get it out yourself, without leaving the car. It's known as "rocking the car" out of the snow. This technique can work for mud as well, but it's most often used to get a car out of snow.

First, let's look at the basics of this technique - just the basics.

Then, let's discuss some of the precautions associated with it so you don't get into deeper trouble.

Keep in mind that this technique will allow you to free a car stuck in snow on the street or other common road surface. It won't allow you to free a car that's lodged in a snow bank or stuck in a ditch in 3 feet of snow. That's a job for a tow truck, another vehicle with towing straps or a bunch of helpful motorists that can help you dig and push your vehicle.

Rocking the Car - the basics

The idea behind "rocking the car" out of the snow is you're trying to create a "runway" for the car by gently driving back and forth in the snow, making a slight amount of progress in one direction or both, until you have:

1. A sufficiently clear path established to allow you to build up a little speed to "make a run for it" to clear yourself of the deep snow.

   or

2. Made a path with your tires from where you had the car stuck in snow to where you can proceed down the "runway" and back onto the road.

This may take a dozen or so movements back and forth to create a sufficient pathway to free the car, but if done properly, it requires no shoveling and doesn't harm the vehicle.

Precautions

Here are the precautions that you should be aware of when using this technique. Heed these precautions and your car stuck in snow will soon be on the road again.

• Be sure of where you're headed while making your path. Curbs, ruts, patches of ice and other obstacles will only inhibit your efforts.
• Don't start spinning your wheels. This only make matters worse. Immediately apply your brakes if your wheels start to spin while you're trying to make progress. Spinning wheels can cause you to slide, they create a more slippery surface, and you can damage your drive train components if you spin your wheels excessively.
• All of your actions should be gentle and limited in terms of power applied to the wheels. Easy does it, even when trying to build up a little momentum to help yourself break loose.
• Go as straight as possible when making your "runway." If you have to turn the wheel, do not turn it more than one quarter of a turn because the more you turn your wheel, the more resistance you'll get to it tracking and making a "runway."
• If you have to turn your wheels, make certain you maintain the same "turn" as you go back and forth.

It's relatively easy to get a car stuck in snow. Practice this technique and be mindful of the precautions, and you can get the car out based on your own efforts.

Done with Car Stuck in Snow, back to Safe Driving