Common Winter Driving Mistakes Ontario Drivers Make

You'd think after surviving a few Ontario winters, most of us would have the driving part figured out. But every year, the first major snowfall turns the 401 into a demolition derby. I've been driving in Ontario winters for over fifteen years, and I still catch myself slipping into bad habits when the roads get bad. Here are the mistakes I see constantly, and a few I've made myself.

Following Too Close on Snowy Roads

This is the big one, and it causes more winter collisions than anything else. On dry summer pavement, the standard two-second following distance works fine. On a snowy or icy road, you need at least four to six seconds. I'm not exaggerating.

Here's the thing: your brain adjusts to speed, not stopping distance. You're cruising along at 80 km/h on the 403, the car ahead seems a comfortable distance away, and everything feels fine. Then they tap their brakes. On snow-packed pavement, your stopping distance can be three to ten times longer than on dry road. Suddenly that "comfortable" gap is nowhere near enough.

I make a habit of picking a fixed point, a sign or a bridge, and counting the seconds between when the car ahead passes it and when I do. If I can't count to at least four Mississippi, I back off. It feels like overkill until the day it saves you from rear-ending someone.

The AWD Overconfidence Problem

This one drives me nuts, and I see it every single storm. Some driver in a Subaru or a big SUV goes blasting past everyone at highway speed because they have all-wheel drive, and they're absolutely convinced that makes them invincible.

Let me be clear: AWD helps you accelerate. It helps you get moving from a stop and climb slippery hills. That's it. It does absolutely nothing to help you stop or turn. Physics doesn't care how many wheels are powered when you're trying to brake on ice. Your four-thousand-pound SUV still needs the same distance to stop as a little Civic, and sometimes more because of the extra weight.

The number of SUVs and pickup trucks I see in the ditch after every storm should be proof enough. AWD is a tool, not a magic shield. Pair it with proper technique for handling black ice and good winter tires, and then it actually makes a difference.

Not Clearing Snow Off Your Entire Vehicle

Ontario actually has laws about this, though enforcement is inconsistent. Driving around with a foot of snow on your roof isn't just lazy, it's genuinely dangerous. I've had chunks of ice fly off the car ahead of me on the 400 and hit my windshield hard enough to leave a crack. At highway speed, a slab of frozen snow coming off a roof is like a projectile.

And it's not just the roof. Clear your hood, your trunk, your headlights, your taillights, and for the love of everything, clear your entire windshield. I can't count the number of people I see driving while peering through a porthole they scraped in the frost. Take the extra five minutes. Buy a decent snow brush with a long handle. Your visibility is literally the difference between seeing a hazard in time and not.

Ignoring Tire Pressure in Cold Weather

Here's one that sneaks up on people. For every 5°C drop in temperature, your tires lose about 1 PSI of pressure. That means if you inflated your tires to the proper pressure back in September and haven't checked since, they could easily be 5-7 PSI low by December.

Underinflated tires change your handling, increase stopping distance, and wear unevenly. I check my tire pressure every two weeks through the winter, and I always do it first thing in the morning before the tires heat up from driving. Your owner's manual or the sticker on the driver's door jamb tells you the right pressure. Don't go by what's stamped on the tire sidewall, that's the maximum, not the recommended.

Slamming the Brakes on Ice

This is pure instinct, and instinct is wrong. You hit a slippery patch, the car starts to slide, and every fiber of your being screams "BRAKE HARDER." But stomping on the brakes on ice just locks things up and turns your car into an uncontrollable sled. Even with ABS, which most modern cars have, the system can only do so much on pure ice.

The better approach: ease off the gas, keep the wheel pointed where you want to go, and brake gently and steadily. If you feel the ABS pulsing under your foot, that's normal. Don't pump it. Just maintain steady pressure and let the system do its job. For detailed techniques on handling icy conditions, check out our guide on driving safely in heavy snow.

Neglecting the Emergency Kit

I know, building a winter emergency kit sounds like something your dad nags you about. But Ontario highways can leave you stranded fast. The 400-series highways might get cleared quickly, but if you're on a two-lane highway in eastern Ontario or anywhere north of Barrie, you could be sitting for hours if there's a road closure or pileup.

I keep a kit in my trunk from November through April. Blanket, extra gloves, a small shovel, a bag of sand, jumper cables, a flashlight, and a phone charger. I've used every single one of those items over the years. The blanket alone saved me from a miserable night when I slid off a rural road near Bancroft and had to wait two hours for a tow.

Driving Too Fast for Conditions

The speed limit is the maximum for ideal conditions. If there's snow on the road, the effective speed limit is whatever allows you to stop safely. I know that sounds obvious, but I constantly see people doing 120 on the 401 in a snowstorm because the pavement underneath is visible. Invisible ice, blowing snow, and reduced visibility all mean you need to slow down regardless of what the sign says.

OPP collision data consistently shows that speed too fast for conditions is the leading factor in winter crashes. Not speed over the limit. Speed for conditions. There's a difference, and it matters.

Forgetting About Bridges and Overpasses

Bridges freeze before regular road surfaces because cold air circulates underneath them. I've driven over patches where the highway was fine, the bridge was pure ice, and the highway on the other side was fine again. It's an easy thing to forget, especially on familiar commute routes where you stop thinking about the road.

Any time temperatures are hovering near freezing, assume every bridge and overpass is potentially icy. Ease off the gas slightly before you reach them, avoid braking or lane changes on them, and stay alert.

Using Cruise Control on Slippery Roads

Cruise control on wet, snowy, or icy roads is asking for trouble. If your tires lose traction, cruise control will try to maintain speed by applying more power, which is exactly the opposite of what you want. On a slippery surface, that extra power application can send you into a spin before you even realize what happened.

Turn it off any time conditions are less than perfect. Keep your foot near the pedals so you can react instantly. I know cruise control makes long highway drives more comfortable, but comfort isn't worth a crash.

The Bottom Line

Ontario winters demand respect. Every one of these mistakes comes down to the same root cause: underestimating how much winter conditions change the physics of driving. Slow down, increase your following distance, keep your car properly maintained, and stay alert. It's not glamorous advice, but it's the kind that keeps you out of the ditch and off the evening news.