With winter here, for the most part, it is time to prepare for winter driving. I drive my kids to school every morning and I not only have to worry about the weather and bad roads, but I have to worry about deer, elk, and moose crossing the road! Yes, we live in a very rural area and we get to see all kinds of wildlife every day! It is a blessing, but it can be a curse too if you hit one of those big animals! So, I am always extremely cautious about driving in the early morning. Below, I have some helpful and very important winter driving tips you need to know about. I hope they help you as they have helped me!
5 Important Winter Driving Tips
Preparing Your Vehicle
1. I always start my vehicle at least 10 minutes ahead of time and then come back into my home. That way, when I go to leave, my car is not only heated up for me so I don’t shiver in the -degree weather, but also any ice or snow on my windows will be melted away. Starting your vehicle and just taking off, is hard on your car. Especially in the wintertime! So, warm up your vehicle for at least 5 minutes before driving it.
Driving
2. When going up a hill in the snow or ice, make sure you are going at a steady pace. Never take off quickly not knowing how the roads are!
3. When going down a hill, take your foot off the gas pedal and try to ‘glide’ down the hill, as slowly as you can.
4. Remember that if you are crossing a bridge, that bridges can be more dangerous because they form ice quicker than roads do.
Getting Stuck
5. If you happen to get stuck in the snow or ice, try to stay calm. Turn on your flashers so other drivers can see you. Stay inside of your vehicle so that you do not get run into with another vehicle. Call for help on your cell phone.
Hopefully, if it is icy or too snowy outside, you won’t have to go anywhere. But, if you live in an area as I do, NOTHING gets canceled if it is snowy or icy! Heavens, we get snowdrifts up to 8 feet!!! So, no school closures here, but if you are lucky enough to not have to go anywhere, STAY HOME!
I hope these 5 Important Winter Driving Tips will help you out! Please add your winter driving tips, below! I would love to hear them! Here is an article about things NOT to do when driving a vehicle. Enjoy!
Sandy C, says
These seem like wonderful tips! Unfortunately, I don’t know how to drive. Stop laughing!
Dianna l Thomas says
great reminders in handling the weather conditions we all seem to have no matter what state we live in. I hate rain and ice bridges it scares me to death. I slide off the bridge and ended up in a ravine , the tow truck had to pull me out–I was so lucky the car didn’t flip or any damages –Just scared me and that was enough for me.
Kim Delatorre says
Oh my gosh, that is SO scary! So glad that you are okay. I absolutely HATE driving in the snow and ice!