January 7th, 2009
Every winter it seems that when snow starts to fall, people forget how to drive. Regardless of the fact that snow is an annual occurance and we know about the hazardous driving conditions it creates, many people still drive as if it’s the middle of summer.Driving in the winter shouldn’t be a gambling type situation, where you potentially put yourself in harm’s way every time you get behind the wheel. With a little forethought, patience and a dash of caution, you’ll be able to make winter driving that much safer.Tips for Driving this Winter
• Before driving, make sure that your car is clear of all the snow that has accumulated on it. This includes the roof (as the snow can fly onto other people’s cars or fall forward onto your windshield creating a visibility hazard), your license plates and your lights. If there is a layer of ice on your brakelights and headlights, make sure you scrape those off as well (otherwise the illumination will be dimmed). Also, scrape all of your windows properly including your side view mirrors. Poor visibility is a major cause of accidents in the winter.
• Don’t use cruise control when it’s raining, snowing or in freezing temperatures
• When braking, don’t slam on your brakes as it can cause them to lock up and send you into an uncontrolled skid. Instead, apply constant, firm pressure steadily until you come to a stop.
• Be alert to all possible situations. Don’t just look at the car immediately in front of you but look further up the road. Then, if you see someone braking suddenly, you’ll have more time to safely stop.
• Recognize that the on and off ramps to highways are often not as clear as the highway themselves, so you need to be driving at a lower speed than normal. This is especially important when exiting the highway as you don’t want to lose control when hitting excess snow accumulation at a high speed.
• Bridges and intersections tend to get icier than other areas of the road so take extra caution when driving across these, even if the road looks fine.
• If you start to skid or slip, continue to look and steer in the direction that you want to go and ease your foot off the accelerator. Don’t slam on the brakes as you’ll just make the situation worse.
• If you do happen to slide off the road or get stuck in a snow bank, straighten the wheel and accelerate slowly. Keep sand, salt or kitty litter in your car to sprinkle under your tires in case you need more traction.
Driving safely in the winter doesn’t have to be especially difficult. If conditions are particularly bad, be sure to drive a little slower than normal. Being extra cautious and mindful can go along way towards keeping you safe this winter.
This entry was posted on Wednesday, January 7th, 2009 at 2:10 pm and is filed under Driving, Safety.
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