The common myth about winter driving that refuses to die

You’ve probably seen it in a comment thread, heard it from a well-meaning neighbour, or muttered it yourself at the petrol station: “In winter, you should drive in the highest gear you can to stop the wheels spinning.” Somewhere between of course! please provide the text you would like me to translate. and of course! please provide the text you would like me to translate., the idea has become one of those bits of winter “wisdom” that feels comforting because it sounds simple. The trouble is, it can make you less safe at exactly the moment you most need control.

Because winter driving isn’t really about one magic rule. It’s about grip, visibility, gentle inputs and knowing what your car can and can’t do on cold, shiny roads.

The myth that sounds sensible (and why it sticks)

The myth usually comes dressed up as a tip: use a high gear to reduce torque at the wheels, which helps avoid wheelspin on ice or snow. Technically, there’s a grain of truth in there. Less torque can mean less chance of breaking traction.

But the way people apply it is where it goes wrong. They take “use a higher gear” to mean “always be in a high gear”, even when they need engine braking, even when they’re climbing, even when they’re approaching a bend that’s already polishing itself into a skating rink. It’s tidy advice for messy conditions, which is exactly why it refuses to die.

Winter roads punish tidy advice. They reward smooth, boring, slightly cautious driving instead.

What actually matters on snow and ice: grip, not gears

On slippery surfaces, your tyres have a tiny budget of grip. You spend that budget on three things:

• accelerating
  
• braking
  
• steering
  

Ask for too much of any one, and something gives. A higher gear can reduce how quickly you spend grip when pulling away, but it can’t create grip you don’t have. If your tyres are on compacted snow, you can be in sixth gear and still slide if you brake sharply or turn abruptly.

The bigger issue is that people use the “high gear” idea as a substitute for proper technique. It’s a bit like trying to fix a leaky roof by buying a nicer umbrella.

The “high gear” trap on downhill stretches

The most dangerous version of this myth shows up on descents. Drivers stay in a high gear because they’ve been told it’s “safer”, then rely heavily on the brakes to control speed. On ice, braking is where grip disappears fast, and once you’re sliding, steering starts to feel like a suggestion.

In many situations, a lower gear-used gently-helps you control speed with less brake input. Not by yanking the car down abruptly, but by letting engine braking take some of the load. It’s not glamorous, but it’s stabilising.

The more useful rule: be smooth, be early, be boring

If you want a winter-driving rule that actually works, it’s this: do everything earlier and more gently than you think you need to. That includes your gear choices.

A sensible approach looks like:

• Pulling away in second gear if it’s genuinely slippery and your car allows it without labouring.
• Using light throttle inputs and letting the car build speed slowly.
• Choosing a gear that keeps the engine responsive without forcing sudden power delivery.
• Slowing down before bends, not during them.
• Leaving more space than feels socially acceptable.

The key is that gear is a tool, not a superstition. You adjust it to what the car is doing, not what a meme told you last January.

A quick reality check: modern cars change the equation

A lot of winter folklore was built around older cars with less sophisticated traction control, more abrupt throttle response and tyres that were… let’s call them optimistic. Modern cars can still slip, but they also do a lot of invisible work:

• Traction control can reduce power when wheels start spinning.
• ABS can help maintain steering under braking (though it won’t shorten stopping distances on ice).
• Stability control can correct small skids before you fully notice them.

These systems help, but they don’t repeal physics. If you arrive too fast or brake too late, the car can’t negotiate with the road. It can only try to make the best of your decisions.

Tyres: the unglamorous hero everyone forgets

If there’s one thing that beats gear tricks every time, it’s tyres. Winter tyres (or at least good all-season tyres) dramatically change braking and cornering on cold roads, not just pulling away.

If your tyres are worn, or hard summer compounds in near-freezing temperatures, the “drive in a high gear” myth becomes even more seductive-because you feel the lack of grip and want a shortcut. The shortcut doesn’t exist.

What to do instead: a practical winter-driving mini checklist

You don’t need a three-hour masterclass. You need a few habits you can remember when it’s dark at 4pm and the road looks suspiciously glossy.

1. Set off gently. Use second gear only if needed, and avoid revving.
   
2. Brake early and lightly. If you have to brake hard, you left it late.
   
3. Slow before the bend. Once you’re turning, keep inputs steady.
   
4. Use gears to support control. Don’t coast in neutral; don’t lug the engine; don’t “set and forget” a high gear.
   
5. Leave space. Then leave a bit more, because the car in front might believe the myth too.

If conditions are genuinely bad-snow settling, freezing rain, or untreated roads-the safest move is often not a clever gear choice. It’s deciding the journey can wait.

Why this myth survives every winter

It survives because it feels like insider knowledge. It turns a complex, anxiety-inducing situation into a single action you can perform: “Just stick it in a high gear.” It gives you something to do with your hands when you’re nervous, which can be oddly soothing.

But good winter driving is mostly about what you don’t do. You don’t rush. You don’t brake late. You don’t flick the wheel. You don’t assume your car is immune because it’s heavy, new, or has a badge that sounds outdoorsy.

A higher gear can help you pull away smoothly. It cannot save you from the consequences of arriving too fast, steering too sharply, or trusting a shiny patch of road that’s quietly waiting to embarrass you.