Billings Expert Shares Fishtail Prevention Tips For Icy Roads

The worst thing you could do in this situation is panic.

BILLINGS, Mont. – As winter weather sets in, drivers in Billings are facing the challenge of icy roads. Sergeant John Metcalfe from the Montana Highway Patrol offers crucial advice on how to handle these conditions safely.

Metcalfe advises drivers to make small corrections in the direction they are sliding if their car starts to fishtail. He says that the worst thing you can do is yank your wheel in one direction in a state of panic. Staying calm is essential.

Aggressive steering can lead to a car spinning out, and even turning the correct way too quickly can cause sliding in the opposite direction. Metcalfe shares a technique taught at the Law Enforcement Academy to help manage such situations safely.

“Something that they teach at the Law Enforcement Academy, it’s called shuffle steering, and it’s where you grab the wheel on the bottom with both hands and when you turn you’re just kind of passing the wheel between your two hands,” Metcalfe said. “And the idea behind that, is that it prevents you from over correcting. Right, if you go off the road and your both hands are on the top, you yank the wheel but if you’re just passing the wheel on the bottom, it allows you to make some some better corrections in them.”

Another common mistake is driving too fast on icy roads. Metcalfe emphasized that drivers should not feel pressured to match the speed limit, even if it is 80 mph on the interstate, when road conditions are compromised by snow and ice.

For additional safety, Metcalfe suggests taking the time to fully defrost windows before driving and ensuring that cars are equipped with proper winter gear, such as studded tires or chains. These measures can help drivers avoid unwanted fishtailing.