Winter Driving Tips

Winter Driving

For most, this is the most wonderful time of the year; kids jingle belling, and everyone telling you be of good cheer, but for some, Winter means driving in the elements. Especially living in the Pacific Northwest, we are hit with bad weather and terrible road conditions, year after year. If you are anything like me, you probably spend most of the Winter months cursing the roads and terrible drivers. It's an entire season devoted to white knuckle, wheel clenching and gritted teeth. Accidents happen every year, due to the inclement wrath of mother nature, and most often times these incidents could have been avoided. Drivers need to practice safe and defensive winter driving. Here are a few tips to use this season and remember the point of going anywhere is to actually get there, if the roads are too dangerous, the best and safest bet is to STAY HOME.

Fall Driving Tips brought to you by the Palouse RTPO &

The Palouse Driver Safety Campaign.

Watch out for icy spots on the road

Always keep your eyes on the road and pay attention to rough patches. Not all areas see the same traffic or get their roads plowed right away, if you see bad patches of road, avoid them if possible, but go slowly through them if needed.

Don't Use Cruise Control

Being in full control of your vehicle is crucial to navigate terrible roads. If cruise control is engaged when the vehicle is hydroplaning or sliding, the wheels 

will continue to spin 

as it tries to maintain 

speed and you will lose 

all control of the vehicle. 

TAP your brakes

When driving in the snow knowing if your car has antilock brakes or not is important. Most cars come standard with ABS. When trying to stop on snow or ice DON'T slam on the breaks. Pump or tap the brakes till you feel the wheels catch traction. Always begin slowing down for stops a ways in advance.

Clear ALL frost from windows
Frosty may have been a magical talking snow man but when your car is all frosty there is nothing magical about that. Frosted windows have no place on an open road. Obstructing your view will only endanger yourself and those around you. Always give your self time to clear all  of your car and windows of frost and snow, before departing. 

Prepare vehicle for Winter
You wouldn't go play full contact football without the proper training and equipment, so why would you treat your winter driving the same? It is in fact dangerous to drive without having your vehicle equipped with proper snow tires and have chains for extreme situations. Get ready before it is too late. Also check that antifreeze levels are topped off, use winter windshield wiper fluid, and switch to winter-grade oil at your next oil change.

Leave extra space & go SLOW
Being too close to the driver in front of you & going too fast while on snowy roads causes many, many accidents. Not giving ourselves the extra space and time to slow down could leave us sliding into someone else. Never go faster than you are comfortable and give yourself extra time to get places so you can do so safely.

Be prepared for emergencies 

Stock your vehicle with supplies in case an emergency goes happen. Basic kits are easy to find online or in store. Include things like: flashlights, extra batteries, blanket, snacks, water, gloves, boots, and winter travel gear. Things like tire chains, ice scrapers, jumper cables, and road flares are good to have. Having some of these things could be a life saver if you actually need to use them in an emergency situation. 

Correct direction AFTER regaining control of vehicle
Many times people are told to turn into the slide and try and get the back end of the car in line with the front again, but we are finding that can sometimes make the situation worse. So general rule of thumb would be to correct your direction of travel only after you have stopped sliding and once again have control of the vehicle.

BE AWARE, CARE, & SHARE