Sunday, October 30, 2011

Safely Traveling in the Winter Months


Topping the list of strategies for safe driving in winter is to simply decelerate. Almost all states have exactly what are called prima facie rules that come into play when road conditions become unsafe. Simply put, this means that irrespective of the posted speed limit drivers should practice good sense and only drive as quickly as road conditions stipulate.

Tip 1: Ensure your automobile is all set for winter driving. That means in addition to having great tires which are able to maintaining traction on wet, wintry roadways, your windshield wipers need to be in very good conditions to keep your visibility. A working defroster is additionally mandatory during the winter to keep your windshield free from ice and snow which helps maintain visibility.

Tip 2: Your vehicle will react in different ways on ice or snow compared to dry pavement. From a stop, speed up slowly. Striking the gas hard will result in your drive tires to spin and will cause your automobile to slide in an unintended direction. Stopping on icy roads can be difficult as slamming on the breaks will most likely not stop you from slamming into the car stopped before you. Lightly apply the brakes well ahead of time when you are aware you need to stop.

Tip 3: Turn off your cruise control. When driving in unsafe conditions, your cruise control does not realize that accelerating quickly can cause you to definitely spin out. Speeding up lightly is always recommended on slippery roads knowning that can not be accomplished by letting your car or truck decide when it needs to accelerate.

Tip 4: Ice is not your friend. Whatever vehicle you drive, never become over confident in your ability to handle all types of road conditions. The most effective four-wheel drive vehicle with the best snow tires available is no match for any road covered with ice.

Tip 5: Do not pass snow plows or motor vehicles distributing salt or non-skid products on the road. To start with, they most likely won’t manage to see you and secondly, they may be providing you with the materials needed to maintain traction on the road surface. Getting back in front of them is only going to block them when they have to stop because you slid off of the road.

Take into account, driving a car in harmful weather requires you to definitely take extra precautions and to certainly be a very mindful driver!

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