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Winter Driving Tips
 We
have some excellent winter driving tips to offer you. Of course,
some of our most important winter driving tips start before you
even hit the road (or ice, as misfortune might have it!)
Winter Driving Tips – Before You Hit the Road
• Check the weather reports. Just because the law does not
forbid you from forging through ice and snow, it does not mean that
you should. Consider not driving during bad weather conditions and
bad road conditions.
• Make sure you stay up on your car maintenance. Any small
problem that you had during the summer will be magnified during
the winter.
• Check your cooling system. Be sure that you have the right
mix of antifreeze in your car, based on the winter temperatures
of where you live.
• Take care of cooling system leaks,
• Keep your gas tank as full as possible (then, if you are
stranded, you can continue to run the heat without worrying about
running out of fuel).
• Fill up your windshield washer fluid. You can go through
a lot, trying to keep your windshield clear from ice.
• Check out your windshield wipers – you want to be
sure that they can do their job well when you most need them. You
can even get winter wipers.
• Check your car battery and charging system. If your car
is hard to start during the summer, it will be even harder to start
during the winter.
• Keep tire chains in your trunk if you live somewhere that
requires and/or permits them.
• Consider getting snow tires.
• Keep an ice scraper in your vehicle. Consider keeping a
shovel, a blanket, boots, and anything else you might need if you
get stuck! You may even want to keep a first aid kit, flashlights,
sleeping bags, matches, games, non-perishable food, newspapers,
plastic bags, or other such items.
• For a rear-wheel-drive vehicle, keeping sand bags over the
rear axle (not just in the trunk, but directly over the axle).
Winter Driving Tips – Once You are on the Road
• Be sure that you have given yourself enough time to get
to your destination. It is best to drive slowly and to be stress-free.
• Stay alert and be observant. Your visibility may be lessened
by weather conditions like fog or snow.
• Turn on your lights so that other cars will be able to see
you better when visibility is low. If visibility is very low, make
sure that you keep your high beams of because they will only reflect
the snow and make your visibility even worse.
• In extreme low visibility, turn on your flashers, proceed
extremely slowly, and be very alert to the cars all around you so
that you can help prevent any accidents. You may even want to roll
down your window and turn off your music so that you can hear if
any cars and coming near you. Pull off the road when you can and
where it is safe to.
• Keep your windshield clear. It is worth the extra few moments
before you start driving to fully clear of your car and de-ice your
windows.
• Drive more slowly! There is not reason to stay at the maximum
speed limit when the weather is poor.
• Remember that even when temperatures are above freezing,
there can still be ice on the road, especially over bridges and
in shady spots.
• Drive while sober (as always!)
• Wear your seatbelt (as always!)
• Where sunglasses on days when it is very bright out and
there is snow on the ground.
• Maintain an even greater following distance between you
and the car in front of you, because it takes even longer for you
to stop on snow and ice.
• Do not pass a snowplow.
• Know your vehicle. Know if it has antilock brakes or traction
control. Know how your car handles in the snow.
• If you are knew to driving in snow (or if you have never
driven your current vehicle in snow), go to a parking lot and practice.
I hope that these winter driving tips will help you in your winter
expeditions. Of course, remember that there are many more winter
driving tips that you can and should follow. It is important to
be as safe as possible whenever you are out driving on the road.
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