Driving during the winter months can be hazardous due to slick roads and poor visibility because of inclement weather. In addition, daylight hours are much shorter and commuters may find themselves driving to or from work in the dark. Drivers may want to take extra safety precautions when driving in these conditions, and also winterize their vehicles to ensure safe and reliable performance from their automobiles all winter long.
Automotive department Chair Justin Morgan shared points to address when preparing your vehicle for commuting during the winter season.
Morgan recommends the following items be inspected by the consumer’s local repair facility:
- Check or replace wiper blades — they always seem to fail when you least expect it.
- Washer/wiper fluid — purchase quality wiper fluid that will not freeze on days when the temperature is in the teens. Usually you will need to go to a parts store and not the gas station for higher quality fluid, and it is not that much more expensive.
- Battery — have it checked before the weather really gets cold. Although your battery may be starting your car now, those 5 or 10-degree days will really put a strain on a marginal-condition battery, and that could leave you stranded.
- Anti-freeze — ensure the car has the proper mix of engine coolant/anti-freeze. For this region a 50/50 mix is suitable.
- Tire pressure — new cars will utilize a tire pressure monitor and will notify you when tire pressure drops. With cold temperatures the pressure will drop overnight and will cause the tire pressure monitor light to come on. Vehicles manufactured before 2000 should be manually checked with a tire pressure gauge.
- Keep a set of jumper cables, a cell phone charger and blanket in the car for worst-case scenarios.
If you do travel by car this holiday season, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention advises travelers to check the weather forecast and avoid traveling when weather advisories have been issued. If you must travel, inform a friend or relative of your proposed route and expected time of arrival.
If you do become stranded in your car, the CDC offers these safety tips:
- Stay with your car unless safety is no more than 100 yards away, but continue to move your arms and legs.
- Stay visible by putting bright colors on the antenna, turning on the inside overhead light (when engine is running), and raising the hood when snow stops falling.
- Run the engine and heater only 10 minutes every hour.
- Keep a downwind window open.
- Make sure the tailpipe is not blocked.
In addition, the AAA Exchange website offers these safe driving tips for winter travellers:
- Accelerate and decelerate slowly. Applying the gas slowly to accelerate is the best method for regaining traction and avoiding skids. Don’t try to get moving in a hurry, and take time to slow down for a stoplight. Remember: It takes longer to slow down on icy roads.
- Drive slowly. Everything takes longer on snow-covered roads. Accelerating, stopping, and turning – nothing happens as quickly as on dry pavement. Give yourself time to maneuver by driving slowly.
- The normal dry pavement following distance of three to four seconds should be increased to eight to ten seconds. This increased margin of safety will provide the longer distance needed if you have to stop.
- Know your brakes. Whether you have antilock brakes or not, the best way to stop is threshold braking. Keep the heel of your foot on the floor and use the ball of your foot to apply firm, steady pressure on the brake pedal.
- Don’t stop if you can avoid it. There’s a big difference in the amount of inertia it takes to start moving from a full stop versus how much it takes to get moving while still rolling. If you can slow down enough to keep rolling until a traffic light changes, do it.
- Don’t power up hills. Applying extra gas on snow-covered roads just starts your wheels spinning. Try to get a little inertia going before you reach the hill and let that inertia carry you to the top. As you reach the crest of the hill, reduce your speed and proceed down hill as slowly as possible.
- Don’t stop going up a hill. There’s nothing worse than trying to get moving up a hill on an icy road. Get some inertia going on a flat roadway before you take on the hill.
- Stay home. If you really don’t have to go out, don’t. Even if you can drive well in the snow, not everyone else can. Don’t tempt fate: If you don’t have somewhere you need to be, watch the snow from indoors.