Winter Driving Safety Tips

Law/Nuestro blog/Winter Driving Safety Tips

Winter Driving Safety Tips

29/05/2024

Having your winter tires installed on your car and packing a windshield scraper is a good start to being prepared to drive in the winter, but as the cold weather gets harsher, the driving conditions get worse. With this comes the tendency for some people to overcorrect or not know how to stop properly, or know how to steer when their car starts to skid. To put it simply: many good drivers are not at their best in winter weather. Here is some guidance for making sure you have a safe trip this winter.





Driving Safely in the Snow

Bad weather, poor road conditions and winter storms account for almost half a
million crashes each winter, and more than 2,000 deaths. You should practice defensive driving always, and your best bet is to stay home if you can. If you absolutely must leave where you are and drive in the snow, here are some tips:

  • Always drive slowly – you have low traction on
    snow or ice
  • Decelerate and accelerate slowly – this will
    prevent spinning out or other potential accidents
  • Increase the distance between you and the car
    ahead of you. Several car lengths – at least to five or six seconds

How to Prepare for Winter Driving

Good defensive driving is great, but you should also prepare for the worst. This means keeping your car stocked up with provisions and a robust emergency kit in case of an accident, a breakdown, being stranded, or worse.

  • Keep extra food and water in your car, along
    with warm clothes, a blanket,  a glass
    scraper, a flashlight, medications and anything else you could need if you end
    up stranded in your car
  • Keep your tires properly inflated and make sure
    they have sufficient tread
  • Make sure your car always has at least half a
    tank of fuel
  • Don’t warm your car up in a garage or any other
    enclosed area, as you run the very real and high risk of carbon monoxide
    poisoning – you cannot see or smell carbon monoxide, so you won’t know when
    it’s a problem
  • Don’t use your car’s cruise control function if
    you’re driving somewhere slippery like on snow or ice

Driving Long Distance in the Snow

If you’re going on a trip and have to drive in the snow, make sure your car is functioning. Get it checked out to make sure nothing needs to be replaced. Also, plan ahead by:

  • Checking the weather along the route you’re
    taking, and delay if the weather is going to be bad
  • Let people know when you are leaving and where
    you are going – share your route with trusted people
  • Don’t leave your vehicle if you are stuck in the
    snow, since your vehicle will be your shelter. It can be remarkably easy to
    lose track of your vehicle in a snowstorm
  • If you have to dig your vehicle out of snow,
    don’t keep going if you’re tired – take a break
  • Clear your exhaust pipe if you’re stuck in the
    snow so that exhaust and carbon monoxide don’t enter the car (it will kill you)

blogs

You might like

Motorcycle Safety Tips for Cold Weather

Driving any vehicle in cold weather and especially snow is going to make for a much more difficult time than driving in dry, comfortable weather. With enough preparation and all of the right gear, it is possible to mitigate many of these problems, but without them, you run the risk of a deadly accident. Before […]

29/05/2024
Read more

The Most Unsafe Era for Pedestrians in 40 Years

Pedestrian safety is of utmost importance right now, and not just because pedestrians legally have the right of way in most places in the United States. Being asafer pedestrian is always key to avoiding injuries by being aware of ones surroundings and avoiding distractions, but as it stands, North Americans are not stemming the tide […]

29/05/2024
Read more

Winter Bicycle Riding Tips

With cold winds in your face and slick surfaces to navigate, the winter is not the ideal to ride on your typical bicycle. Many of us use a bike as our regular transportation, and some of us have our bikes tricked out for winter riding, as well. In order to make the most of your […]

29/05/2024
Read more

Winter Rideshare Safety Tips

Winter driving is no joke in general. Everyone needs to slow down and be sure to take the proper winter driving precautions, but if you drive a rideshare, your point-to-point driving makes you more vulnerable to getting in an accident than if you were simply driving to and from work. Add to this the dangers […]

29/05/2024
Read more

Winter Slip and Fall Accident Tips

Whether your winter is cold and snowy or just plain cold, winter is a time when slipand fall accidents are increasingly likely. Cold, wind, ice and snow are problems on their own and when they combine, it’s a perfect storm of injury possibilities. Typically, these conditions result in bruises and bumps, but there’s always the […]

29/05/2024
Read more

Pedestrian Safety in Cold Weather

When it’s cold outside, people drive worse than they did before. If you’re a pedestrian, you need to take extra precautions during the cold weather and, if you’re driving, you need to keep an extra eye out for pedestrians who are even harder to see, especially if snow is lowering your visibility. Safety is always […]

29/05/2024
Read more

Five Apps for Increased Road Safety

Staying safe on the road is more important as more and more cities become increasingly dependent on automobile transportation. Increasedroad safety is about diligence and attentive driving, but there are also ways to “gamify” or in other ways incentivize safe driving, through smartphone apps. Here are five apps designed to keep you less distracted and […]

29/05/2024
Read more

Apps for Increased Rideshare Safety

Rideshares can be fun and convenient, but if you’re putting your life in the hands of a stranger by taking a rideshare, you’ll want to feel safe. No one wants to be put in a situation where they feel unsafe or lost, or where they might end up in a ridesharingaccident. Here are some apps […]

29/05/2024
Read more

How Dangerous are Ride Shares?

Everyone with a smartphone now has access to the next generation of personalized, private transportation. It used to be a matter of calling and reserving a cab or, in some places, hailing one from the side of the road. Since ridesharing is a new phenomenon, however, all of the kinks are still being worked out, […]

29/05/2024
Read more

Tips for Avoiding Motorcycle Accidents

Motorcycles as a mode of transportation are inherently moredangerous than others. Because of this, motorcycle drivers have an extra onus on them to be the safest drivers possible. Many motorcycle accidents are caused due to careless motorcycle driving, and while you may think you’re one of the safe ones, anyone can be caught off guard. […]

29/05/2024
Read more

formulario de contacto

Póngase en contacto

By providing your phone number, you agree to receive text messages from RS Law Offices. Message and data rates may apply. Message frequency varies. View our Privacy Policy.