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Safe Winter Driving Tips As the season of snow is now upon us, it is important to remind ourselves to slow down, take precautions, and be alert when driving. You can never predict black ice, but you can try and prevent many winter accidents. Before you even step foot into a car, make sure you take a few routine precautions: Get an engine tune-up in the fall, switch to winter weight oil if you aren’t already using all-season oil, check battery connections, put good “all-season” tires on, and make sure all fluids are at proper level. Here are few driving tips to get us through the winter roads if you must drive: - Clear all ice and snow from your vehicle. Make sure that all windows and windshield wipers are clear of ice and snow—not just your front and back. You may want to stop at a safe turnout to use a snow brush or scrapper if debris piles up while you are driving. Also, it is helpful to continually use the car defroster and keep a clean cloth in the car to keep the windows free from fog.
- Be more observant. Visibility in the winter is often limited by weather conditions. Slow down and watch for other vehicles that have flashing lights or brake lights. Visibility may be so restricted during a storm that it is difficult to see slow moving cars and equipment. Also, make sure you are always looking ahead on the road, especially approaching shady areas, bridges and overpasses. Being extra aware of the road around you is imperative when driving in poor conditions.
- Do not brake suddenly. Make sure you keep extra distance between you and the car in front of you, and do not quickly cut back in front of other vehicles. You and the rest of the cars cannot stop as suddenly as normal.
- To avoid skids, brake carefully and gently on snow or ice. “Squeeze” your brakes in slow, steady strokes, and allow your wheels to keep rolling. If they start to lock up, ease off the brake pedal. As you slow, you may want to down-shift. If you have front-wheel drive and your front wheels are turned prior to loss of traction, don’t straighten the steering wheel. Since the wheels are skidding sideways, a certain amount of braking force will be exerted. In a rear-wheel drive, counter-steer until you are going in the desired direction. With a four-wheel drive skid, ease off the accelerator or take the foot of the brake. Steer in the direction you want it to go, and wait for the wheels to grip the road again.
- Make sure you are braking properly. If you do not have anti-lock brake, the most efficient method for braking under these conditions is the “heel-to-toe” method. Keep the heel of your foot on the floor and use your toes to apply firm, steady pressure on the break pedal just short of lockup to the point at which the wheels stop turning. The Canadian Automobile Association Foundation for Traffic Safety found that 50% of the people are unaware of how anti-lock and traditional brakes differ. If you have an anti-lock brake system (ABS), use the heel–to-toe method, but do not remove your foot from the brake. ABS brakes work by a sensor located at each wheel that detects when the wheel stops turning and starts to skid. As soon as the skid is detected, the anti-lock system relieves the pressure just enough to allow the wheel to turn again. This allows you to steer while you continue to slow the car down.
- Drive slowly. Even if your vehicle has good traction in snow and ice, other drivers will be driving cautiously. Do not disrupt the flow of traffic by driving faster than everyone else. You never know when black ice might appear.
- Make sure you keep your car well-supplied. Keep flashlights with extra batteries, a first aid kit with pocket knife, necessary medications, water, and several blankets stored in your car for those unforeseen events.
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