Winter Driving Tips

We have gotten the first snowfall out of the way and it’s warmed up quite a bit, but that doesn’t mean it’s over. Snow may or may not be coming up within the next week and we should always be prepared – especially when driving. We have some tips for you when driving in the winter provided by AAA.

• Accelerate and decelerate slowly. Trying to take off too fast or slow down too fast can cause your wheels to spin or worst case, not stop on the snowy roads.
• Drive slowly all together. Be a defensive driver and also watch out for those around you as well. The best safety technique aside from driving safely yourself is watching out for dangerous situations.
• Normally when driving behind someone the following distance is about eight to ten seconds, but when it’s snowing that time needs to be increased to three to four seconds.
• Know your brakes. Have they been changed in a while, are they squeaking, do you have enough brake fluid? These are all questions you should ask yourself before the snow is suppose to fall.
• Don’t stop if you can avoid it. It’s hard to regain inertia once after you have stopped, so if you know a red light is coming, slow down enough to where you wouldn’t have to come to a complete stop.
• And lastly, stay home if you don’t absolutely need to go out. Even if you can drive well in snowy conditions, that doesn’t go for everyone on the roads.

 Now whether we get 3 inches or 10 inches, we hope you are more aware of how to best drive in snowy weather.