What to do if your car gets stuck in the snow?

This story was originally published in January 2022.

The feeling of your car’s wheels spinning uselessly on snow and ice no matter how hard you accelerate is both frustrating and frightening.

During Maine’s snowy winters, it’s almost inevitable that your car will get stuck in the snow at some point. Taking a few preventative measures can help prevent you from getting stuck in the first place. However, if you find yourself in a difficult situation, you can take a few simple steps to get moving again.

Mike Nadeau, co-owner of Mark’s Towing Service in Caribou, said the first step for every Mainer in the winter – whether they’ve been here for one year or 100 – is to swap out their car’s regular tires for snow tires.

“I feel like nine out of 10 vehicles I pull out of the ditch have bad summer tires,” Nadeau said. “Get a good set of winter tires and plan your day according to the weather. Don’t rush your schedule, just give yourself plenty of time.”

Snow tires come in a variety of styles, from all-season tires that provide a little more traction in light snow to tires with metal studs that grip snow, slush, and ice.

“I recommend studded snow tires,” Les Foss, owner of Island Towing in Bar Harbor. “There is a lot of ice here in Maine, especially down here on the coast. Studded tires are the best way to help you in icy conditions.”

However, studded tires must be removed before May 1st to prevent them from causing damage to snow-free roads.

If you get stuck despite your best efforts, check where the snow is accumulating around your car. In many cases the snow has accumulated around the wheels. Shoveling the snow away from the vehicle and throwing kitty litter or sand onto the snow in the direction you want to move will help increase traction under the wheels. Nadeau said mud flaps or rubber floor mats can also provide more traction under the tires.

However, if you clear the snow right in front of the wheels, you won’t get anywhere. You need to create a “runway” for your vehicle with the snow you clear and anything you put down to increase traction, Foss said.

“If you want to shovel your way, you have to shovel the width of your car and the length you want to travel,” Nadeau said. “Make a series of tire tracks along the driveway and follow them.”

Additionally, Nadeau says, focus on adding more traction to the wheels that actually drive the vehicle.

“Don’t throw it in front of the wheels that have no power,” Nadeau said. “If your car is front-wheel drive, try throwing it forward so that when your tire spins, it grabs onto it.”

In other cases, snow collects under the cars and “high-centers” them.

“If you’re high in the spotlight, the best thing you can do is get a shovel and try to shovel the snow out from under your vehicle,” Foss said. “Applying sand won’t do you any good.”

Nadeau said all Mainers should have a small shovel, a bucket of sand or a bag of cat litter and a warm blanket in their car during the winter. For added safety, Foss also recommended snow chains for the tires.

Nadeau said it’s safest to stay in the car on the road or in poor visibility conditions and not try to break away.

“The street is a dangerous place,” Nadeau said. “It may be the worst place to stand, summer or winter. If you get stuck on the road, call a tow truck. Stay in your vehicle and keep your lights on. This is the safest place.”

However, if all else fails, don’t be afraid to call a towing company. Foss recommended that all Mainers seek some form of roadside assistance, whether through their car insurance or from the American Automobile Association (AAA).

If you are in an area without cell service, Nadeau recommends calling 911, which should work even if you don’t have cell service.

“Call 911 and if you can’t be reached they will at least send an officer who can send a tow truck from there,” Nadeau said.