One of the most important tips for winter driving is to make sure that your car is in good condition and ready to deal with the snow and ice of winter. A breakdown in icy conditions could be fatal. Prevention is better than cure. Not only should your car be prepared and ready for winter conditions, you need to know how to drive on icy roads.
Essential Advice When Diving Anywhere In Severe Winter Conditions
- Have your cell phone with you.
- Keep your cell phone contacts up to date
- Make sure you have emergency numbers in your cell phone.
- Keep your cell phone charged.
- Keep a cell phone charger in the car. Test the charger regularly.
- Tell people where you are going and the route you will take. Don't deviate from the route without phoning first.
- Phone home from your destination when you arrive.
- Phone home if you are delayed.
- Keep a torch in the car. Test the torch regularly.
- Keep several thermal blankets in the car.
- Make sure your car has more than enough fuel for the journey, however short.
Car Preparation Tips For Winter Driving
Before winter arrives, make certain of the following, using the services of a properly qualified car mechanic. The following considerations are not just optional tips for winter driving, they are preventative measures that if ignored could cost you your life. It is foolish to attend to these matters yourself unless you are an expert. These checks are not the only important ones. Ask your garage about additional essential winter checks. Check the internet for additional advice.
- The car’s battery, charging system and belts must be in excellent working order. According to www.cartalk.com, a car battery loses its power when the temperature drops. The last thing you need is for the car to stall in icy weather and then fail to start because of a faulty charging system.
- The car’s cooling system must be working correctly. Also, you must use the correct antifreeze for your vehicle taking into consideration the reasonably anticipated winter conditions that your car will face. The expert should also check for leaks in the cooling system. Again, get expert advice from a qualified motor mechanic. Also keep the bottle with fluid that washes the windscreen, full with liquid that will not freeze.
- The car’s demister system is very important. If it is not working properly the windows will mist up and you will not be able to see where you are going. You will be forced to stop which will introduce all the dangers that come with stopping a vehicle on a busy road in icy weather. It may even be snowing when you have to stop.
- Fully functional windscreen wiper blades are essential for safe winter driving. Defective wiper blades mean that it is barely possible to see through the windscreen in light drizzle; driving in snow becomes impossible and dangerous. Impaired visibility results in an obligation to stop. Getting new wiper blades before the start of winter could be lifesaving.
Car Handling Tips For Winter Driving
Not only must you prepare your car for winter, you must also know how to drive in winter when water, ice and snow on the road make conditions treacherous. When it comes to actually driving the car, some tips for winter driving on frozen and wet roads are as follows.
- If a road is really treacherous then the best course of action is not to drive at all. This is part of the excellent advice on www.weather.com a very useful site with many useful tips for winter driving. Sometimes the authorities close roads when winter conditions are very dangerous. Don’t wait for the authorities to make a decision. Use your common sense. Do not drive if conditions are clearly hazardous.
- The most sensible of the tips for winter driving is to drive slowly. This is because it is very easy for your car to slide on ice. Testimony to this is how easy it is for a car to slip and slide on the ice in a mall parking lot in winter. Slipping and sliding on the beltway could be fatal. The slower you travel the greater the chance of keeping the car on the road. Keep a really good distance behind the vehicle in front of you. Watch following distances at all times.
- Learn how your car behaves in icy conditions. This is certainly one of the more practical tips for winter driving. Look at www.weather.com for some useful information on how to handle icy surfaces. Head knowledge is not enough, however. Practicing driving on an icy surface where you can do so lawfully and without being a danger to persons and/or property.
If your car is checked and ready for winter and you drive sensibly you will have a better chance of surviving a problem when driving in winter, especially when there is snow and ice on the roads. Out of all these winter driving tips, two stand out above all others - make sure you have a fully charged cell phone with you and tell people where you are going, your route and your expected time of arrival. And of course - stick to your declared route.
Sources
- www.cartalk.com accessed on 18th October 2010
- www.weather.com accessed on 18th October 2010
John Bartels - John is a Lawyer (retired). A qualified Attorney, Notary Public and Conveyancer John has a BA,LLB from the University of Cape Town, South ...
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