When driving in the winter, things can go wrong quickly. This is true not just when there is heavy snow on the road, but also when hidden black ice coats your path. Drivers who use the same techniques in both the winter and summer often find that they're in trouble once the cold weather sets in.

Just before the seasons change, here are some tips for driving safely this winter:

• Slow down: You can't drive as fast on winter roads. Snow, slush and ice make it harder to stop on command, and also leave your car more vulnerable to skidding out of control in sharp turns. Remember that no matter how in control you feel, your car is still a 2-ton hunk of metal hurdling down the road at high speeds, and treat it accordingly in bad weather.
• Leave some space: If another car is in front of you, back off a little more than usual. If the roads are a mess, it will be more difficult for you to make a sudden stop.
• Forget about cruise control: Cruise control is great on a sunny day when you have nothing ahead of you but the open road. But in the winter? Forget about it. You're just increasing your risk of hydroplaning if you use this feature. 
• Let your ABS do the work: If you learned to drive on older cars, you may have learned to pump the brakes during a loss of traction. Today, however, most cars are equipped with anti-lock braking systems. Just apply constant pressure and let the ABS do the rest.

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