Keep it somewhere between Sunday driving with Great Grandma Emily and Nascar driver Jeff Gordon. Living in the Midwest we see weather changes every day. Last week we could walk around without a coat and now it’s a very cold and crummy day.
Here are a few things to keep us all safe and reducing chance for accidents:
- Anything coming through on the cell phone can wait especially in hazardous weather. Concentrate on your driving and others around you.
- Accelerate and decelerate slowly to avoid skids.
- Slow down a bit and don’t tail gate!
- Keep a light touch on controls, nervousness can lead to hard clench of steering wheel or stepping on the brakes too hard; both of which can lead to skidding.
- Know how to recover from skids including knowing the kind of brakes you have and how you should react in bad weather.
- Do not use cruise control when driving on any slippery surface including wet, snow, ice and sand.
- Keep your car in good working order including brakes, tire pressure and tire tread (should be at least 1/8 inch) and have at least 1/2 tank of gas.
- If you are on an extended trip, make frequent rest stops as driving in bad weather can tire you out more quickly.
- Watch weather report before long distance trip.
- Bring along water, snow scrapers and blankets.
- Allow extra time to get to your destination.
- If you get stuck, stay in your vehicle and make sure your exhaust pipe is clear of snow and ice so that carbon monoxide does not build up in your vehicle. Use whatever is available to insulate your body from the elements including floor mats and newspapers.
- Using extra gas on hills just starts your wheels spinning. Try to keep moving if at all possible.
- Stay home if you really don’t have to go out! Even if you are the greatest driver in the snow, not everyone else is.
To sum it all up, cut down on unnecessary risks that are within your control. Rely on your common sense. Avoid unnecessary distractions, slow down, keep enough space between other vehicles, and if you don’t need to get out, don’t.
By: Debbie Dubinskey