Tips For Safe Winter Driving

Safe winter driving isn’t only meant to keep you safe, but also meant to keep everyone else on the roadways safe as well. Below you will find tips for general driving, as well as long-distance winter driving.

Severe weather conditions can make anyone nervous on the road, but if you follow safety rules when dealing with dangerous weather you can lessen the chance of a car accident happening to you or to someone else on the road because of an error you made while driving.

GENERAL WINTER DRIVING TIPS

– Avoid driving when you are tired. It doesn’t matter if you are taking your kids to school, driving to work, or driving down the street to your local grocery store. When you drive when you are tired you have slower reflexes and your mind tends to work at a much slower rate. Before driving anywhere in the winter, make sure you are well-rested.

– Never warm up your car in an enclosed area. Many wintertime deaths are caused by accidental carbon monoxide inhalation. If you want to warm your car up, have the rear facing the opening of the door and leave the door open. To be even safer, drive your car out of the garage and then proceed to warm the car up.

– Make sure you have the right winter tires on and that they are properly installed and inflated. If you are unsure if you have the right tires on and that they are properly inflated, visit a local auto mechanic or tire service store and ask.

– Never use cruise control in winter driving. This includes driving on icy, wet, cold, or snowy roadways. You always need to be in control of your car in case of any sudden obstacles.

– Always wear your seatbelt. This seems obvious and yet so many people get into their car and don’t put their seatbelt on. Seatbelts save lives.

LONG-DISTANCE WINTER DRIVING

– If your car dies while in a snowstorm – do not wander the roadways. Put your blinkers on or use road flares so others know there is a car that has stalled, and call AAA or a towing company immediately. You can also try calling Uber. They have a new service in snowy states now where they will come jump your car for you. Or if it’s an emergency or dire situation, call the police.

– Take your cell phone with you and make sure you keep emergency items such as road flares, an extra blanket, orange traffic cones, gloves, hats, food and other items in your car. This will help you if your car does stall or if you have an accident and are stuck somewhere off of the road.

– Never drive a car that is not at peak performance. Make sure you visit an auto mechanic before you go on your trip in order to make sure that your car is running properly and that any parts that need to be replaced can be fixed or replaced.

In the event of a winter storm Stay Home. If you simply cannot avoid driving in winter weather and you do have an accident that was caused by someone else, contact Sloat & Nicholson at 1-800-873-3202. You can also contactSloat & Nicholson if you have questions about your legal rights or need a free consultation.