Canada is known for its winters, with driving conditions ranging from Vancouverites sliding around on just a few centimeters of snow once or twice each year causing the city to grind to a halt, to actual blizzard conditions being a regular occurrence in more easterly and northern regions of the country. Regardless of how severe winter gets, proper preparation is critical to ensuring safety on the road.
It’s pretty universally agreed that if you’re going to be driving on roads with snow and or ice winter tires are the first, and most important, step in ensuring your vehicle remains on the road. While some regions do not require winter tires, and “all season” tires are acceptable under the law, these general purpose tires are not designed with winter driving conditions in mind. The main issue with tires that are not winter rated is they are made of harder rubber compounds, which is great for making sure they last longer, but it means that as temperatures get down to, and below, freezing they become hard, and no longer stick to the road in the same way they do when warm.
A more overlooked aspect of being prepared for winter driving is having the correct supplies on board in case something goes wrong. A standard roadside emergency kit is a good starting point. Including flares or reflectors that can alert other drivers to your situation, basic tools to allow you to perform any roadside repairs that may save you a long wait for a rescue vehicle, and basic first aid supplies in case of an injury. When considering winter conditions it’s a good idea to add a shovel, some candles, and at least one good blanket. Carrying some sand is a common practice throughout Canada, as it both adds weight (which can improve traction) and can be used to add texture to an icy road or driveway when needed.
Your ability to maintain control of the vehicle isn’t as important as the physical conditions of your vehicle and path, but it’s worth noting that a driver that has been trained how to recover from slides is less likely to totally lose control of their vehicle under the same driving conditions compared to a driver that hasn’t. A highly skilled driver cannot magically provide more traction to a vehicle, but they can utilize what traction is available in a more efficient way.
With EVs being a growing portion of passenger vehicles on the road, it’s worth noting the differences between them and traditional ICE vehicles. For the most part the driving experience is the same, the main thing to be aware of as a driver is regenerative braking does not apply any sort of ABS, and in 2 wheel drive vehicles regen will only apply braking force on the drive wheels. Driving in one pedal mode (L or B mode in some vehicles) will apply regenerative braking automatically as your foot comes off the accelerator and this can be tricky to balance with steering if you’re driving in slippery conditions. I generally recommend not driving in a one pedal mode while driving where icy conditions are likely. Additionally the added weight and low center of gravity of EVs will provide better stability and traction, but also will increase stopping distances as you have more mass to slow down, so make sure you leave enough distance to stop.