Winter driving can be scary and takes extra awareness andconcentration. The safest thing you can do while driving on ice andsnow? Slow down and be patient.

Many winter driving accidents are caused by motorists travelingtoo fast for the weather conditions. Overconfidence in one'sabilities and vehicle is a factor in many of the serious and fatalwinter accidents, according to IcyRoadSafety.com.

More than 800 people die each year in the U.S. in vehiclecrashes caused by snow, sleet and freezing rain, according to astudy by University of Georgia researcher AlanBlack. The study found that from 1996 to 2011, more than12,000 people died in the U.S. in vehicle accidents that happenedduring winter precipitation. The average per year was 817deaths.

Fatalities were higher than expected in heavy snowfall regionsin the West and the areas downwind of lakes Erie andOntario.

Related: 10 safest and most hazardous U.S. cities fordriving in bad weather

Driving on ice and snow is tricky, but here are 15 tips thatshould help:

1. Allow plenty of time to arrive at yourdestination.

Trips can take longer during winter than other times of the year,especially if you encounter snow or icy roads. Don’trush!

Plan your route and let others know your route and anticipatedarrival time.

Motorists drive their cars through blowing snow Sunday, Feb.15, 2015, in Yardley, Pa. (Photo: Mel Evans/AP Photo)

2. Slow down.

Accelerating, stopping and turning all take longer on snow-coveredroads. Give yourself time to maneuver by taking itslow. Applying the gas slowly to accelerate is the best methodfor regaining traction and avoiding skids.

Avoid sudden stops and quick direction changes. And take time toslow down for a stoplight. Coasting through a turn works best indeep snow or on icy roads.

Related: Stay safe when driving this winter

Drive like you’re tiptoeing on ice, because you mightbe.

If you are driving a 4x4 vehicle, don't get overconfident.Remember that, if you are driving a four-wheel-drive vehicle, thevehicle may help you get going quicker, but it won't help you stopany quicker. Many 4x4 vehicles are heavier than passenger vehiclesand actually may take longer to stop.

Motorists proceed along the slick roadway of Interstate 25as high winds drive snow into drifts on Tuesday, Dec. 15, 2015, inDenver. (Photo: David Zalubowski/AP Photo)

3. Leave plenty of distance between your vehicle andthe one just ahead of you.

Give yourself at least 10 seconds to come to a complete stop. Carsand motorcycles usually need at least 3 seconds to halt completelyeven when traveling on dry pavement. This increased margin ofsafety will provide the longer distance needed if you have tostop.

A good rule of thumb is that you should be around 20 secondsbehind the car in front of you if the road is icy. That way,if that car has to stop suddenly — or worse still, crashesinto a car in front — you will have time to stop, or takeavoiding action.

Related: Dealing with the rising costs of carcrashes

To check you’re far enough away, watch for the car in front topass an object — a lamp post, bridge or sign. Then count howmany seconds go by before you pass the same object. If it’s under20 seconds, you should back off and allow more space.

A car rests on the side of the road in the snow Friday, Feb.1, 2013, in Solon, Ohio. (Photo: Tony Dejak/AP Photo)

4. If you go into a skid, ease your foot off theaccelerator.

If you find yourself in a skid, stay calm and ease your foot offthe gas while carefully steering in the direction you want thefront of your vehicle to go. Hold the steering wheel firmly, butdon’t make large turns. Use a light touch to correct theswerve.

Continue to stay off the pedals (gas and brake) until you areable to regain control of your vehicle. Avoid using thebrakes, as this will prolong the skid.

Related: Here are the 13 top performing cars in thesnow

If the car starts to spin while you are skidding, steer into thedirection of the spin and allow the car to straighten up.

Most modern cars have extremely well-developed stability-controlsystems, and if you turn the wheel slowly towards the slide andavoid stepping on the brake too hard, those systems will do a goodjob of straightening you out.

Rear-wheel skids

If the rear wheels lose traction, use these steps to regaincontrol:

1. Continue to look at your path of travel down the road.
2. Steer in the direction you want the front of the vehicle togo.
3. Avoid slamming on the brakes. Although hitting the brakes is atypical response, slamming the brake will only furher upset thevehicle's blance and make it harder to regain control.
4. When the rear wheels stop skidding, continue to steer to avoida re-wheel skid in the opposite direction.

Front-wheel skids

Front-wheel skids are caused by hard braking or acceleration ifyour vehicle has front-wheel drive. When the front wheels losetraction, you'll not be able to steer the vehicle.

Compared to rear-wheel skids, front-wheel skids are easier tocorrect and less hazardous because there is no risk of the vehicleskidding in the opposite direction. Regardless of whether thevehicle has front-, rear- or four-wheel drive, the best way toregain control of the front wheels skid is:

1. Continue to look where you want to go.
2. Steer in the direction you want the front of the vehicle togo.
3. Avoid slamming on the brakes. Although hitting the brakes is atypical response, slamming the brakes will only further upset thevehicle's balance and make it harder to regain control.
4. Wait for the front wheels to grip the road again. As soon astraction returns, the vehicle will start to steer again.
5. When the front wheels have regained their grip, steer thewheels gently in the desired direction of travel.

Traffic is sparse and the sidewalks impassable as a heavysnow falls in Pembroke, Mass., Wednesday morning, Feb. 5,2014. (Photo: Stephan Savoia/AP Photo)

5. Don't power up hills.

Applying extra gas on snow-covered roads just starts your wheelsspinning. Try to get a little momentum going before you reach thehill and let that inertia carry you to the top. As you reach thecrest of the hill, reduce your speed and proceed down hill asslowly as possible.

A good samaritan helps push a car stuck on an icy road inOmaha, Neb., Tuesday, Nov. 11, 2014. (Photo: Nati Harnik/APPhoto)

6. Don’t stop going up a hill.

Get some momentum going on a flat roadway before you take on thehill. It can be a challenge to get moving up a hill on an icyroad.

Easing off the gas will rob you of the momentum you need tocounteract gravity as it tries to pull your car down the hill.Conversely, giving the car too much gas could leave your wheelsspinning and you sliding backward.

By avoiding paths taken by other vehicles, you might have achance at having better traction.

Cars are gridlocked on Beacon Street in Boston, Tuesday,Feb. 3, 2015. The Boston area received about 40 inches of snow,causing significant traffic on the roads narrowed because of snowbanks. (Photo: Charles Krupa/AP Photo)

7. Keep your gas tank at least half full.

Keep your gas tank close to full, even with a hybrid-electricvehicle. If you get stuck in a traffic jam or in snow, you mightneed more fuel than you anticipated to get home or to keepwarm. A fuller gas tank also averts the potential freezing ofyour car's fuel line.

More gas also means more weight, which can provide bettertraction.

Good tires are key to driving in snow. (Photo: ToyoTire via PRNewsFoto)

8. Check your tires.

Keep your tires properly inflated and remember that for winterweather driving, a general rule is the more tread depth, thebetter.

A good snow tire helps you in two ways. Its deeper tread isdesigned to cut through snow and reach the pavement. Moreimportantly, the rubber that makes up that tread is chemicallyformulated, and softer, to better grab the asphalt in coldweather.

If you drive more on icy road than snowy roads, studded tiresmay be the right choice for you.

Tire pressure decreases by about one pound per square inch forevery 10-degree drop in outside air temperature, so it's vital thatyou check the air pressure regularly in winter weather.

Drivers should follow the guidelines found in the vehicleowner’s manual or tire placard (or sticker) attached to the vehicledoor edge to determine the correct air pressure for their vehicle'stires. A common myth is that the tire pressure listed on thesidewall is the optimal pressure, while in reality it is themaximum pressure.

Don’t forget to check your spare tire. If you need to use yourspare tire, you don’t want to find out that it is flat.

Snow plows clear the Long Island Expressway, Tuesday, Jan.27, 2015 in Central Islip, N.Y. A storm packing blizzard conditionsspun up the East Coast, pounding coastal eastern Long Island intoMaine with high winds and heavy snow. (Photo: Mary Altaffer/APPhoto)

9. Don't crowd a snow plow or travel besideit.

When you are driving behind a snow plow, don’t follow or stop tooclosely. A snow plow operator’s field-of-vision is limited; if youcan't see the mirrors, the driver can't see you. Also, materialsused to de-ice the road could hit your vehicle.

Snow plows can throw up a cloud of snow that can reduce yourvisibility to zero in less time than you can react. Never driveinto a snow cloud — it can conceal vehicles or hazards.

Drivers on I-295 contend with near-whiteout conditions whiledriving in a snow storm Monday, Feb. 2, 2015, in Yarmouth, Maine.(Photo:Robert F. Bukaty/AP Photo)

10. Don't use your cruise controlwhile driving on ice or snow.

Even roads that appear clear can have sudden slippery spots and theslightest touch of your brakes to deactivate the cruise control cancause you to lose control of your vehicle.

Traffic slowly moves down Waukegan Road on Sunday, Feb. 15,2015, in Northbrook, Ill. Lake-effect snow caused slipperyconditions on some area roadways close to Lake Michigan, leading tomultiple accidents. (Photo: Nam Y. Huh/AP Photo)

11. Turn on your headlights.

Even during the day, snow or overcast conditions can make itdifficult to see the road and other vehicles.

Good samaritans try to push a car stuck in thesnow in Trenton, N.J. After pummeling wide swaths of theSoutheast, a winter storm dumped more than a foot of snow in partsof the Mid-Atlantic region as it marched Northeast and threatenedmore power outages, traffic headaches and widespread closures formillions of residents. (Photo: Mel Evans/AP Photo)

12. Avoid spinning the tires if you become stuck in thesnow or on an icy patch.

First, disengage the car’s traction control system (there’susually a button for this on the dashboard somewhere), whichactually tends to work against your efforts when there’s zerotraction.

Spinning the tires will get you into a deeper rut. Instead,gradually rock the vehicle back and forth to get it unstuck. Engagethe lowest gear (second gear if it’s a manual transmission) andslowly creep ahead as far as possible — perhaps only an inchor two at a time — then engage the brakes, put the car intoreverse and repeat the process back and forth several times togradually get unstuck.

A section of multi-vehicle accident on Interstate 75 isshown in Detroit, Thursday, Jan. 31, 2013. Snow squalls andslippery roads led to a series of accidents that left at leastthree people dead and 20 injured on a mile-long stretch ofsouthbound I-75. More than two dozen vehicles, includingtractor-trailers, were involved in the pileups. (Photo: PaulSancya/AP Photo)

13. If you can't avoid a collision ...

If after all your efforts you can't avoid hitting something,remember your car offers you more protection in a head-on crashthan a side impact, according to DrivnginSnow.net. There's a lot moreenergy-absorbing metalwork between you and the front bumper, thanbetween you and the outside of the door.

Seatbelts and frontal airbags work much better in a frontalimpact, and many cars don't have side-impact airbags.

If you slide sideways into a curb or soft ground, your car mayroll over (particularly in a tall 4x4 vehicle), whereas if you hitthem forwards, you will probably keep going.

So, travelling sideways is not good — if you are able toturn at the last minute, try to hit things head on.

A police officer questions the driver an occupant of a carthat ended up on top of a tall snowbank in the middle of CommercialStreet during a blizzard, Tuesday, Jan 27, 2015, in Portland,Maine. Although there was no driving ban in Maine, most motoristsstayed off the roads. (Photo: Robert F. Bukaty/AP Photo)

14. Drive only if it's absolutelynecessary.

If you must drive, travel in the day and don’t travel alone. Stayon main roads and avoid back road shortcuts.

Take heed of warnings not to go out. This leaves the emergencyservices free to deal with real emergencies instead of rescuingstranded motorists.

Traffic is at a standstill on Interstate 65 northbound asofficials work to clear abandoned vehicles Wednesday, Jan. 29, 2014in Hoover, Ala. Some commuters pleaded for help via cellphoneswhile still holed up in their cars, while others trudged mileshome, abandoning their vehicles outright. (Photo: Hal Yeager/APPhoto)

15. Stay with your car if you're stranded in wintryweather.

Your vehicle provides temporary shelter and makes it easier forrescuers to locate you.

Alert others to your presence by turning on your hazard lights,activating road flares or placing a brightly colored cloth on thevehicle's antenna or door handle. Turn on a flashlight or keep theinterior dome light turned on.

To avoid asphyxiation from carbon monoxide poisoning, don’t runyour car for long periods of time with the windows up or in anenclosed space. If you must run your vehicle, clear the exhaustpipe of any snow and run it only sporadically — no more than 10minutes per hour — just long enough to stay warm. Makesure to leave a window slightly open for ventilation.

Don't set out on foot unless you can see a building close bywhere you know you can take shelter. Be careful — distancesare distorted by blowing snow. A building may seem close, but betoo far to walk to in deep snow.

Related: Filing a blizzard-related claim? Here's what youshould do

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