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VERIFY: Is special car driving technology safe to use in snow and icy weather?

A slushy wintry mix is never fun to drive in. But if you absolutely have to drive, can you rely on modern car driving technology to navigate you safely on snowy and icy roads?

QUESTION: 

Is car driving technology safe and reliable in snow and icy weather?

ANSWER: 

Experts say no, you should continue to manually drive your vehicle.

SOURCES: 

  • Cars.com
  • American Automobile Association spokesperson
  • Consumer Reports

PROCESS:

Our Verify team presents facts and gives you clarity to the things you question. Snow and rain always bring a mixture slick slippery roads and if you can't avoid staying off roads and have to drive, can you depend on car driving technology to work well in snow and ice?

Verify researchers got answers form experts at Cars.com and AAA. Some cars come equipped with adaptive cruise control that adjusts the vehicle speed to maintain a safe distance from vehicles ahead, AAA experts say bad idea. 

"A lot of those are based off the cameras on the systems. Some are mounted on the rear-view mirror, some are mounted on the grill. The problem is, if your windshield is not clear in that area, or the lane lines are covered in slush or snow, they aren't going to work anyway," said AAA St. Louis spokesperson. 

So what about using traditional cruise control with snow and ice? 

Cars.com says never use cruise control during winter driving, especially when there is a strong chance of ice and slippery conditions since you need to deactivate cruise control by pressing the brake, you can pressing down on the brake pedal too hard and cause the car to slide. 

Another feature that can be unreliable to depend on is cameras located in the front grille, underneath your side mirrors and in the back that give a 360 degree view because ice, snow and salt can often cause build up that would make them unusable, according to Consumer Reports

After speaking to our experts, we can verify car driving technology does not always work effectively in snow and icy weather experts say just continue to manually drive your vehicle. 

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