Driving in adverse weather conditions becomes much more difficult.
Winter has an unstable character: sometimes minus, sometimes plus temperature. Consequences of weather fluctuations: precipitation that has fallen in the form of snow turns into ice. Driving in adverse weather conditions becomes much more difficult, so the risk of getting into an accident increases. As a rule, the causes of "winter" accidents lie in the lack of experience, incorrect assessment road conditions, and most importantly, in choosing the wrong model of behavior on the road. Let's look at typical examples.
One of the most common road accidents in urban areas slippery road- This is a rear end. When the driver brakes in front of a stopped vehicle in front, the vehicle may not decelerate sufficiently with or without ABS, in which case the vehicle enters the vehicle in front of it. The danger is also that instead of a car's bumper, there may just as well be a pedestrian. The cause of the accident, even if the driver reacted in time, is in non-observance of the distance and unpreparedness for the winter style. Not every driver can quickly change their habits, but braking distances, as is known, on slippery surfaces increases as a square of speed. That is why security experts traffic it is advised to adhere to one, the so-called "winter" driving style all year round.
Keeping the maximum distance in the city is problematic, since with a high probability the resulting space will be occupied by other cars. But it is necessary to increase it even in the absence of snow or ice on pavement, since the majority winter tires inferior to summer in performance on asphalt. Of course, this may not be enough to completely stop when emergency braking, but the driver will have room to maneuver - when ABS operation(or applying intermittent braking on non-ABS vehicles), the vehicle will remain under control and the reduced speed will reduce the impact of the collision.
A large number of ridiculous accidents happen on the days of the first snowfalls - some drivers postpone their shift until the last moment summer tires for the winter, not wanting to drive it on asphalt or ignoring weather forecasts. In such cases, the matter does not end with a simple collision from behind. People who like to save money in this way not only cannot drive their car into an icy slope, but also begin to slide off it, crashing into other cars.
Undoubtedly, quality tires- the product is not cheap, but car repairs will cost more, not to mention human health. To minimize wear on winter tires and loss of studs when driving on asphalt, you should avoid sudden acceleration with slippage and try not to take corners on the edge.
Another typical scenario of a winter accident is associated with the choice of the wrong driving style - skidding and loss of control during a sharp detour of an obstacle or rebuilding. On snow or ice, the car is much less stable than on asphalt, which, apparently, many people forget. How to prevent accidents? First of all, you need to avoid sudden movements of the steering wheel, especially when braking. But if, nevertheless, a skid began to develop, you need to stabilize the car as soon as possible by turning the steering wheel in the direction of the skid, and then do not forget to return it to central position as soon as the "nose" of the car is again in the right direction.
A characteristic winter picture on the roads is ruts and snow formed between them. When overtaking or changing lanes, you have to leave the track, because of which the tread can become clogged with snow, ceasing to remove it from the contact patch. This happens especially often with worn tires. As a result, the wheels lose traction, and the car becomes poorly controlled - the same thing happens as with hydroplaning. Common Mistakes the driver in this case - panic pressing the brake pedal or inaccurate steering actions - only exacerbate the situation. The outcome is predictable - the car either makes a U-turn, or flies into a ditch or into the oncoming lane.
Snow lying on the side of the road can also cause skidding and accidents if the snowdrift is caught on the wheels of one side of the car.
In megacities, drivers are in for another misfortune - chemical reagents that are sprinkled and watered on the streets to combat icing. In most cases, they really help to get rid of ice on the roads, but under certain circumstances (usually on frozen and well-ventilated overpasses), this mixture makes the surface even more slippery. As a result, this leads to massive accidents - drivers who are accustomed to driving on asphalt do not expect such a sharp change in conditions. It is almost impossible to visually recognize such areas, so you need to “feel” the coating by briefly pressing the brake pedal when entering the bridges. If you hear the ABS kick in, slow down immediately. The blinking lamp of "traction control" or stabilization systems (if any) can also be an indicator - it works when the wheels slip.
Another unpleasant consequence from reagents - it's dirt. From the abundant amount of chemicals on the streets, cars are instantly covered with a characteristic film. Wet asphalt itself absorbs headlights, which reduces visibility on the roads, and headlights contaminated with chemical mixtures cannot be cleaned even with a washer. On many cars, the side windows and mirrors are also heavily soiled, which significantly impairs visibility.
Be careful when driving behind a car with tinted lights - in slushy weather they get dirty, and it becomes difficult to see brake lights or “turn signals” through dried mud.
IN winter period V major cities it is better to have a couple of spare anti-freeze canisters with you, as well as a sufficient supply of water and rags for wiping headlights, mirrors and side windows. The wiper blades should also be changed in advance - the old “wipers” will only smear the dirt, and in winter, basically, you have to go to dark time days when the eyes are more tired and it is harder to maintain concentration.
The main conclusion is that in winter you need to be extremely careful and careful, weather change very quickly and unexpectedly. Slow down, increase your distance, avoid sudden movements and keep your windows and mirrors clean - these are the basic rules. safe driving V winter time of the year.
It just seems that all car owners consider it a must before a trip to shake off the snow that attacked during parking from all parts of their car. Quite an impressive part of them are actually sure that it is really necessary to clean only the windshield and side windows and the hood - so you can see the road. You don’t have to remove the snowdrift from the roof - it will be blown away by the wind, some car owners believe and act accordingly. But it happens that a citizen carries a snow cap on the "crown" of his personal vehicle not entirely of their own free will. The elimination of this disgrace can be hindered, for example, by the presence of luggage racks on the roof. Because of such devices, zones appear here, to which it becomes at least difficult to reach with a brush. Another option for the appearance of a "self-propelled snowdrift" is born from a combination of the following factors: heavy snowfall, big car, petite car owner. To get to the roof, the girl simply does not have enough strength or height: she dug out windows and doors - and thank God, as they say, we’ll go. There is another option for the appearance of a snow cap on the roof - "pragmatic", so to speak. Some fellow citizens are seriously convinced that a snowdrift can provide additional protection. paintwork cars. Such a “zealous owner” in his heart regrets that the snow “armor” will not stick to the doors and wings of the car. And in general - each stroke of the brush on the paint of a native vehicle creates billions of new micro-scratches on the body, through which aggressive reagents rush to gnaw on defenseless metal ... In fact, there is no snow and ice additional protection do not create.
On the contrary, with the inevitable gradual melting (after all, the body of a warm car melts snow) of the “iceberg” on the roof, moisture can penetrate not only into the microcracks of the paintwork and expand them, but also get, for example, under door seals. And this is a guarantee of their freezing. In addition to quite tangible problems, this kind of snow on the roof also poses a serious threat to road safety. Harsh braking or the passage of a speed bump - and a snowdrift slides down onto the windshield, blocking visibility at once. Well, if at this moment it will not be required to make a maneuver. Well, if there is not a particularly impressive snowdrift on the roof, then the “wipers” will not cope with it. The driver will have to get out of the car and remove it from windshield manually, which is by no means safe on busy highway. No less dangerous is the situation when a snow cap flies off the roof under the influence of an oncoming air flow on high speed. Where this block will fly - into a passing car or it will be carried out into the oncoming traffic lane - no one knows. But in any case, it doesn't bode well. good car, which involuntarily became the target of such a bombardment. After all, the collision will be very serious. A 20-kilogram layer of snow at a speed of about 100 km / h can hit with a force of about 5 tons! Not for nothing, in European countries for organizing an accident due to snow not cleared from the roof of a car, a separate fine is due.
When it comes to winter, we immediately think of snow fun and skiing, completely forgetting about the other side of the coin, far from being as fun as our gardens feel under the cover of snow. Let's talk about how to protect perennials from the harmful effects of snow and frost.
Of course, under a snow blanket, the beds feel quite good. But only if the snow is fluffy and soft. If it becomes caked or covered with an ice crust, the consequences can be very unpleasant, since such a cover ceases to let air through, and the plants under it suffocate or freeze very quickly.
No less dangerous is the abundance of heavy wet snow. It accumulates on tree branches, and with the advent of thaws, it becomes covered with a thick ice crust, which can easily break off branches.
In addition, the accumulation of snow can bring down the roofs of buildings on your site, cut off a drain, or even break an electrical cable. Therefore, large deposits of snow should be disposed of as far as possible.
How to protect
With the onset of the first cold weather, do not panic. The fact is that even the most heat-loving plants calmly withstand a slight decrease in temperature - up to -7 degrees. In addition, the root system of plants suffers only when the ground freezes to a depth of more than 5 cm. It is this situation (frosts below -7 degrees and deep freezing of the soil) that is an indication for covering plants. If you do this earlier, your plantings will not suffer from cold, but from overheating.
First of all, young seedlings should be covered - they are the most susceptible to low temperatures.
The best shelter option is spruce branches - it not only protects from frost, but also retains snow. If a trip to the nearest forest plantation for necessary material impossible, as an alternative, you can use the remains of collected perennials, sawdust, peat and even burlap. The only thing you should not use is dry hay or straw: rodents often start up in them.
Video "How to cover plants for the winter"
In this video, an expert will tell and show you how to properly cover plants for the winter.
What to do when icing
But the main danger to plants is not the frost itself or snow. Most of all, they suffer from small ice crystals that form in tissues during freezing. If the temperature drops slowly, and then just as slowly rises - garden crops, as a rule, easily tolerate such situations, and are easily restored.
If the cold comes abruptly, the consequences can be irreparable.
The farmer should follow the meteorological forecasts and organize protective shelters for his plantations in time to prevent them from icing.
It is important to keep the snow in the beds as much as possible - it is he who plays the role of a kind of insulator that prevents the cold from reaching the root system or tender young shoots.
Using snow, first of all, you run the risk of getting a cold. However, this is only half the trouble, because the current environmental situation is extremely unfavorable. If we assume that you live in a remote area, and there are no industrial enterprises near you, then it is the cold that is the main side effect of eating snow.
However, now it is difficult to find ecologically clean areas on the planet, and as a result, the answer to the question - is it possible to eat snow, remains negative, only there will be much more reasons for abandoning this venture. Eating snow can not only catch a cold, but also infect more serious diseases.
Snow has the ability to perfectly absorb dust, which contains almost any chemical compound, most of which are toxic. In addition, many chemicals are poorly excreted from the body and tend to accumulate. Do not forget that animals are running in the snow, pedestrians are walking and cars are passing by. It is quite clear that snow in such conditions cannot be clean and safe.
Similarly, the situation is with icicles, which also attract the attention of children, causing them to want to lick them. Today, experts say that snow can only be consumed in high mountainous areas. If it is melted, then you can drink melted water. However, it will not contain all the mineral salts necessary for the body and therefore you should not use it for a long time. However, if you do not have such a need, then it is better to drink plain water, and not melt.
Scientists understand what a difficult time we live in, and are trying to improve ecological situation. However, it is quite difficult to do this, but now we will not talk about it, but we will find out only what scientists have found out when studying snow. In 2015, the results of laboratory studies of snow were published. As a result, already freshened snowflakes contain a large number of exhaust gases cars.
Scientists from the University of Washington conducted a larger study on the question of whether it is possible to eat snow. They chose as the subject of study the newly fallen snow in the United States and Canada in various areas. Even in those regions that are located far from large cities, the snow contained a large amount of coal dust and various pollutants. Scientists have found that snow becomes unusable even before it touches the ground.
Why can't you eat snow?
Let's summarize all of the above and note the most important reasons why snow should not be eaten. Let's focus on the main ones, because in fact there are a lot of them.
- High risk of getting sick. Children are active on the street, and this leads to overheating of the body. To cool off, the easiest way is to eat a handful of snow. However, such an act can cause the development of tonsillitis, pneumonia and other diseases. In addition, the temperature difference can break the enamel of the teeth, which is very fragile in children. Do not forget to take a bottle of water or a thermos of tea with you for a walk so that the child can calmly quench his thirst.
- Heavy snow pollution. Today, the atmosphere of the planet contains a huge amount of toxins that are emitted by plants and factories. It doesn't make sense to list everything. chemical compounds that are in the air today, but just look at the periodic table. Be sure that any of its elements is in the air. Snow very quickly absorbs various substances and even before it touches the ground, it cannot be eaten due to the high risk of poisoning.
- Animals. Now a large number of stray cats and dogs live on the street, which leave their excrement in the snow. All these traces of their vital activity will be hidden from view by freshly fallen snow. However, picking up a handful of snow, you never know what kind of "surprise" there may be.
Can you eat yellow snow?
If white snow attracts children who want to eat it with the illusion of purity, then yellow snow definitely cannot evoke such feelings. We have already found out that even white snow cannot be consumed, not to mention yellow.
At the beginning of the article, we said that, theoretically, snow can only be consumed if you live in areas remote from megacities. However, in practice, in any case, this should be avoided. When the snow melts, then not all harmful substances contained in it go into the ground. Some of the toxins rise again into the air and can be carried by the wind over long distances.
After that, all these chemical compounds will again be on the surface of the earth thanks to snow and rain. Now, only high-mountainous regions can be attributed to relatively clean regions of the planets from an ecological point of view. This is due to the fact that many chemical elements cannot rise high into the atmosphere. However, once again it is worth repeating that we live in conditions of extremely poor ecology.
Let's see why the snow turns yellow. This fact can be explained by various factors, but we will focus on the main ones. First of all, it is the urine of animals living on the street. It contains a huge amount of toxins that were removed from the body with the help of the kidneys. In addition, the amount of toxins in the urine of sick animals is rapidly increasing.
The second most common acquisition option by snow yellow color- synthetic lubricants cars. Every car or motorcycle uses oil, which often ends up on the ground, and in winter on the snow. These materials are most often based on high molecular weight hydrocarbon compounds to which other substances are added. On this moment Most artificial lubricants are made from propylene or ethylene using heavy synthesis technologies.
Surely you have already understood what threatens the human body when all these compounds are ingested. Poisoning can be extremely serious, even fatal. Literally an hour or two after eating the snow, which has got lubricants, your temperature will rise sharply and dizziness will begin. Further development events are difficult to predict and various troubles are possible.
How to wean a child to eat snow?
We have already answered the question - is it possible to eat snow? Now it’s worth figuring out how to wean your baby from this harmful activity. Let's first find out why snow is so attractive for children:
- Sometimes with the help of snow the child is just trying to quench his thirst and you should take a thermos of hot tea for a walk with your baby.
- Perhaps the child wants to attract the attention of parents and you should inspire him with other activities.
- Children want to explore the world and they are just wondering what snow tastes like. You should explain to your child that this is ordinary frozen water, which, among other things, is not clean and can be dangerous.
- If the child is dressed too warmly, then with the help of snow he only tries to cool down.
It is necessary to tell the children that the snow is very cold and can cause colds. Do not forget to add that the use of snow can harm your teeth, because the enamel cracks from a sharp fluctuation in temperature. It is also worth talking about the reasons for the appearance of yellow, using the example of an animal. Such a visual demonstration will definitely discourage the baby from eating snow.
You can arrange a joint viewing of a cartoon called "Winter's Tale". In it, the main character, a bear cub, after drinking snow, became very ill, and the hedgehog was worried and tried to help with all his might. But there is absolutely no need to scare the child with doctors. This approach to education is completely ineffective and can only lead to the development of children's fears, increased nervousness and other mental problems. However, some children, even realizing that it is impossible to eat snow, stealthily try to lick an icicle or sit down on a small handful of snow.
If you notice that your child does this, then offer him ice cream, in a small amount. Let him compare the taste of this delicacy with snow and draw conclusions for himself. In conclusion, it is worth giving two recipes for making healthy and edible snow.
- "Colored Snow" First you need to boil water, and then add juice or jam to it. Pour the mixture into ice cube trays and freeze. After that, you just have to put ice cubes in a blender and make snow out of it.
- "Yogurt lozenges". Fill the syringe with yogurt that your child loves, then make small "cakes" and freeze them. The lollipops are ready to eat and you can give them to your little one and his friends.
What is really dangerous snow and ice on the roof, How do you remove icicles from a roof? And having collected all the information on snow topics from our website, you will receive the most complete instructions for snow removal. But, the company "CADET-SPb", first of all, offers quality services, one of which is roof snow removal- you can find out the price from our managers by numbers on the site!
Few people think about why they need to remove snow from the roof of the house at all - let it lie, to whom it interferes. But, in fact, this pile of snow is extremely dangerous for each of us. We already wrote that the weight of 1 square meter of snow crust can reach two hundred kilograms or more, imagine the consequences of such a mass falling onto your car, for example. In more detail about what consequences can be from snow or ice on the roof - later in the article.
What is dangerous snow on the roof
Since cases when people or property suffer from falling snow are quite rare, let's take a better look at the widespread problem - damage to the roofing surface from snow. As it was written above, the snow cap that covers all the roofs of Russian houses in winter has an impressive weight. The consequence of which are problems that can only be noticed in the spring or during snowmelt - the roof is leaking.
No wonder all experts recommend technical inspections roofs before winter and immediately after the snow melts. In the first case, this will allow patching up small gaps “in the defense” from outside influences on the spot. In the second case, it will immediately show where and how the roof was damaged in the winter. We will consider this an additional argument in favor of the assertion that winter is a real test for the roof.
Also, the more snow falls, the more it compacts under its own weight. Therefore, for a person ignorant of roofing matters, it may seem that everything is still in order and the roof will withstand the pressure of snow. It is not always so.
But, do not rush to climb onto the roof yourself and try to remove the snow there. You should do this on your own only on roofs specially equipped for this - flat roofs with special extensions for dumping snow, one-story buildings with a simple pitched roof of a small slope. In any other case, call and wait for the arrival of a specialist.
What danger is fraught with frost on the roof
It is not uncommon for icicles or frost (ice crust on the roofing surface) to form constantly and the weather has nothing to do with it - the problem is improper thermal insulation of the roof. When there are problems with the insulation (it gets wet, its thickness is insufficient, the installation was done illiterately) or it is not there, the roof surface begins to heat up from the internal heat of the building. As a result, the temperature difference between environment and roof. Because of this, the snow melts - ice crust and icicles are formed.
As for icicles, no special knowledge is required to be aware of their danger - a hard and heavy pile of ice with a pointed end is not the best housemate, you must agree. A ice crust is dangerous the fact that snow will begin to accumulate on it again, which will no longer confidently hold on to the roofing material. As a result, uncontrolled falls of a huge mass of snow occur on such a crust. As you understand, this is even more dangerous than the fall of an icicle.
These falls will be followed disruption of almost all external communications of the roof, such as antennas, gutter system, snow guards and so on. All this dead weight will rush to the ground along with the snow and will come out to the owners of the house or its residents "for a pretty penny." To avoid such consequences, it is always necessary to order the cleaning of the roof from snow and ice on time. And the problem with the thermal insulation of the roof should be solved even before the onset of winter cold.
What to do with snow on the roof
The overall picture is very bad: both snow and ice have an extremely negative effect on both the roof (roofing surface and roof structure) and the safety of others. At the moment, there are only two ways to deal with this problem - snow removal in one way or another, or roof heating installation which simply will not allow snow to accumulate on the roof.
But, the second option is considered very expensive. What does it cost to buy everything necessary equipment, add to this the difficult installation from specialists, and a tidy sum comes out. Moreover, the snowmelt cable system will constantly consume a lot of electricity, which will also hit the owners pocket.
That's why, in the best possible way take care of your roof, there will be a timely cleaning of the roof from snow and icicles. This will extend the life of your roof for years. It's inexpensive compared to roof heating, and you'll get the help you need almost immediately.
