When you’re driving in snow, safety is your first concern. However, most people don’t brush up on their driving skills or their winter safety equipment as frequently as they should. If it’s been some time since you considered if you’re being as safe as possible, this information is for you. After all, vehicles, snow safety equipment and road salt have changed.
We’ll discuss winter driving safety tips and provide a winter car safety checklist.
Winter Car Safety Checklist
Most people know to have a blanket in the car and a shovel in the car, but you’re probably missing something on this checklist. Take a look:
- Road salt: Having a bag of road salt on hand can help you get your car out of snowy situations if it gets stuck.
- Gloves, hats: If the car won’t start or breaks down, it’s essential to have extra clothing to help keep your family warm.
- Jumper cable: Batteries are more likely to need a jump in cold weather.
- First aid kit: A first aid kit is a wise inclusion no matter the time of year. In winter, you may want one with an insta-heat pack.
- Water, food: If you get stuck it’s also wise to have some back-up bottled water and non-perishable food.
- Windshield fluid: An important part of staying safe on the road when it’s snowing is having windshield fluid to help remove snow. Keep a spare bottle in the vehicle in case you run out.
- Flashlight: If you need to do emergency car repairs at night, you’ll need a flashlight so you can see.
Tips for Driving in the Snow
You may understand a lot about driving in the snow from your years of experience, but some aspects of winter driving are counter-intuitive. For example, did you know that snow and ice and more slippery near to 0 °C than at -20 °C?
Besides, things have also changed since you started driving. For example, some road salt is now treated or mixed with water so that it acts faster. Roads will see a much faster improvement after modern salt treatments.
Here are some more winter driving safety tips you may not have heard:
- Avoid cruise control: It can be more challenging to get your vehicle back under control if you hit an icy patch while cruise control is engaged.
- Use Electronic Stability Control: More recent cars have ESC to help keep the vehicle under control, but this can interfere with your attempts to get free of snow. Turn it off when you’re stuck in the snow but turn it back on when you get out.
Of course, the best winter driving safety tip is to avoid driving in blizzards and other bad conditions when you can. Choose Lane’s Landscaping to stock up on your road salt before you hit the road. We’re open 24 hours during snowstorms, contact us today!