Preparing For Winter Driving Conditions

Driving in winter is not as hard as people think until the snowy season starts. It is as difficult to plan a summit as it is to plan a trip during the snowy season. But people have adapted to a lot of things that can help in driving during winter, especially in the season, when the roads are blocked by tons of snow.

So the question that most people ask is how can they overcome the difficulties regarding driving during the cold weather. Because there are a lot of difficulties such as snowy roads, lower visibility, and many more. But don’t worry below are some tips that you can use to overcome these harsh times, which are described below.

Cold-Weather Driving Tips

Keep a bundle of cold-weather gear, or whatever you find convenient in your cars, such as extra food and water, warm clothing, a flashlight, a glass scraper, blankets, medication, and more.
Make certain your tires are fit, properly inflated and have plenty of treads to go over the ice.
Keep at least an extra half tank of fuel in your vehicle every time you’re hitting the road.
Never warm up your vehicle in a congested area, such as a garage, or basement parking.
Prefer not to use cruise control while driving on icy or slippery roads.

Tips For Driving on a Snowy Road

Buckling up is a common thing that every driver should do before starting driving. So buckle up because it is the most important thing to do. And getting things done before, can save you from harsh injuries during accidents, so don’t forget! Now slow down the speed, if you’re not in a hurry, go slower than the speed limit. It might feel silly to be poking along at 30 mph in a 65 mph zone, however, going fast truly is the ultimate mistake in snowy weather with icy roads.

Always try to accelerate and decelerate slowly. Know and check your brakes all the time. Don’t power uphills and don’t stop going up a hill, it can cause serious issues, the vehicle can slip down the hill.

Tips for Long-Distance Winter Trips

Be Prepared: Have your vehicle checked. Auto Repair facility would be preferred before hitting the road.
Weather Check: Keep updated with the weather conditions. Check the weather along your route, delay your trip if bad weather is expected.
Connection would be better: Before hitting the road, it's always better to notify someone, and let them know your route, estimated time of arrival and destination.

If you get stuck in the snow:

Don’t leave your vehicle: The vehicle provides temporary shelter and you’ll be located much easily if you get stranded. Do not try to just walk away in a severe storm. It is normal to lose sight of your vehicle in blowing snow and become lost.
Don’t waste your energy: If trying to dig out your vehicle listen to your body and stop if you become tired.
Try to Be Visible: In heavy storms tie a brightly colored cloth to the antenna or place a cloth at the top of a rolled-up window to make yourself visible. At night, keep the dome lights on if it's working properly. It only uses a small amount of electricity and will make it a whole lot easier for anyone who’s in search of you.
Clear the Exhaust Pipe: Make sure the exhaust pipe is not clogged with snow, ice, or mud. While the engine is running, a blocked exhaust pipe can cause deadly carbon monoxide gas to leak into the passenger compartment, which can be the cause of death.
Get Covered: Use whatever is available to insulate your body. This could include floor mats, pre-pack blankets and heavy clothing to use in case of an emergency.
Keep checking your fuel level: If possible, only run the engine and heater long enough to remove the chill.

Clearance of snow

Now let’s talk about the snowbound roads. What can we do to clear the snow from the road? It's simple. Contact some snow plowing companies or you can contact other people around you to do it together.

How to Avoid Accidents

There are a diverse types of techniques that you can use to avoid an accident in the winter, especially in the snowy weather. But it never hurts to prepare for emergencies in case you do get into a hard situation. Winter car preparation is crucial in cold weather emergencies on the road. Being prepared will make things easier if you get stuck in the snow, crash, or break down. Check out the list below for some important things and make check list of your own to keep in your car during winter:

Sturdy ice scraper.
Shovel.
Gloves and other winter clothing, blanket.
Emergency flares or reflectors.
Rock salt, sand, or kitty litter.
First aid kit.
Extra windshield washer fluid.

The main key to avoid car accidents is to keep your focus on driving, limit your speed and take complete control of brakes.

How to Drive in Icy Conditions

There are three simple tips that you can use to drive in icy conditions:

Keep an eye on the temperature, weather and road conditions so that you are prepared for icy conditions.
Always keep an eye on other drivers or anything that may seem weird with their vehicle or to see if they are being affected by ice.
Listen to weather forecasts and avoid areas of concern.

So next time you go out driving in winter or snowy weather keep all the things in mind, it’s better if you’ll make a check list of all the possible things that came up in your mind to save yourself in case of emergency.