If you live or travel where snow and cold weather make driving conditions difficult, it’s important to prepare ourselves and our vehicles for cold weather.

I recommend the following tips for winter driving:

1. Allow extra time to get to your destination.
2. Monitor weather conditions and if it’s not safe to travel and you don’t have to do it – don’t drive.
3. Keep an emergency kit in your vehicle.  Items such as an extra ice scraper, extra gloves, blanket, boots, a small hand shovel, an extra pair of socks, and a flashlight should always be included, as well as a bag of sand or even a bag of kitty litter.  For a full list of emergency kit supplies, see our post, Prepare for Winter Driving.
4. If you become stranded, it’s important to stay with your vehicle.
5. If you can start the engine, run it only long enough to keep warm and be certain the exhaust pipe is snow-free.
6. When on snow covered roads, remember to drive with caution.
7. Before leaving, remove the snow from the entire vehicle – including headlights and tail lights – and be sure side mirrors are snow free.
8. During daiylight hours, drive with your low-beam headlights on, so other motorists can see you better.
9. Watch for icy surfaces – especially on bridges and intersections – even if the rest of the road appears to be in good condition.  Black ice is very hazardous and sometimes difficult to see, especially at night.
10. Look farther ahead in traffic; actions by other drivers will alert you to problems and can give you extra time to react to problems ahead.
11. When changing lanes, avoid cutting in front of trucks, which need more time and distance than passenger vehicles to stop.
12. Don’t use cruise control in precipitation and freezing temperatures.
13. Remember that four-wheel drive helps you to get going quicker, but it certainly doesn’t stop you any faster!
14. Apply constant, firm pressure to the pedal with anti-lock brakes.
15. Keep the fuel tank at least half-full to avoid fuel-line freeze-up.

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