[jakobegger]

> First rule of winter driving is don't touch the brake

That doesn't sound right. Pretty much all cars today have ABS, which should make sure that you don't lose traction.

When I first drove a car with ABS in winter I was amazed how well the breaks worked in bad conditions -- of course the car would take a lot longer to come to a stop, but it did come to a stop.

[gargravarr]

The key feature of ABS is that it prevents the steering wheels from locking up, allowing the driver to steer around the obstacle. On loose surfaces, ABS can cause braking distances to increase; locked wheels can dig into gravel and slush, causing it to stack up and increase friction. ABS is also useless on sheet ice (but then, no braking system is genuinely at an advantage there).

These are edge cases though, and ABS does generally improve braking distances. At the very least, it gives you a much better chance of avoiding the obstacle in your path.

[KozmoNau7]

You really shouldn't have to brake hard enough that the ABS comes on. Be smooth, don't jam the pedal, brake right on the edge of ABS activation.

[dfee]

Having just escaped from the snowpocalypse of Minneapolis tonight, I can tell you this is right.

The other thing is to accelerate through turns - it helps maintain traction.