Winters affect drivers in a number of ways, especially when you have to deal with snow and ice. The change in temperature not only offers extra chores related to car, for example wiping the snow off the windscreen, side windows, headlights, backup lights and indicators, but also proves to be a more challenging condition for the drivers to bear with. For this purpose solely, drivers are advised to practice extreme caution while driving in winters. Here are a few safety tips that should be kept in mind in such conditions.
Following are some of the tips to consider, in order to be safe in winters:
- Check the weather before going out for a drive.
- Take a look at the forecast and make sure there are no weather threats that you might run into along the way.
- If the temperature is particularly cold or frigid, you might want to warm up your car a little before taking it out to a drive.
It is important to note here that while warming up the car, make sure that you don’t leave it running in an enclosed area for example, a garage. In fact, the Consumer Product Safety Commission warns that a car running in an attached garage is never safe, even with the garage door open. This is one of the basic things that are taught in driving schools in Guelph.
Prepare your car for winters; as soon as the first winds start blowing from the north, consult your personal car care specialist and ask him to take a thorough look at your car – especially keeping in mind the factors related to automobiles that get affected as the winter season prevails. Some of them are:
- Ignition
- Brakes
- Wiring
- Hoses and fan belts
- Spark plugs
- Air, fuel and emissions filters, and PCV valve
- Distributor
- Battery
- Tire wear and air pressure
- Antifreeze level and freeze line
Preparing your car for the worst is not everything if you don’t know how to avoid the worst from happening. Any car driving instructor can explain the basics of avoiding a crash. Even if you have done all the preparations to get your car ready for the weather, you will still need to be focused.
In winters, roads become extremely slippery and unsafe to drive on, mainly due to snow. The best option for you here would be to pull over immediately. Do not make even a single attempt to drive on until the condition improves.
But sometimes, it so happens that even after the many scores of precautions, a driver fails to judge turns or a curve and the car skids off the track. Here are a few tips that a person must keep in mind for situations like this:
- You must never mix radial tires with other types.
- Refrain from using your parking brake to slow down or stop the vehicle.
- Using cruise control in wintery conditions can be a dangerous idea.
- Accelerate and decelerate slowly.
- Increase following distance to 8 to 10 seconds.
- If possible, don’t stop when going uphill.
- Keep your gas tank at least half-full.
- If you do get stranded, don’t try to push your vehicle out of snow.
- Make sure you have anti lock brakes.
