Driving in snow and wintry weather can be intimidating since there are surely a higher number of accidents during snowfall than otherwise.
If you keep these tips in mind when you’re operating your vehicle during wintry weather, you’ll keep yourself and anyone else driving on the road around you a bit safer.
The first thing to remember is this: If you don’t need to drive, stay home!
You can’t get into an accident from the safety of your couch. We understand that sometimes there are extenuating circumstances that will cause you to have to get in your car, but if your errand can wait, consider pushing it off a day.
If you really must be on the road, remember to stay calm. If you’re driving slowly and safely, even if you were to slide slowly into a guardrail, chances of your car being damaged, but you walking away unscathed are higher. And, remember not to drive in bad weather while you’re fatigued; it takes a little extra concentration to make it home during a snowstorm, so make sure you have all of your attention focused on the task at hand.
If you know there’s a storm coming, make sure to fill your gas tank and check your tire air pressure. If your tires are very bald, you might try adding little chains to them to give you extra traction. You can pick these up from your local mechanic or larger retailer.
You should never use cruise control when driving in iffy weather. Make sure you have sole control over your vehicle at all times. If you have four-wheel drive, make sure it’s engaged.
Accelerate and decelerate slowly. Use your car’s inertia to get you where you need to be, don’t let inertia work against you. Your following distance should increase from four seconds on dry pavement, to about 10 seconds or more on wet, icy pavement.
Keep these tips in mind and stay safe while you’re driving in icy weather; but remember, if you can, stay home!
Remember that Lite Trax specializes in lightweight, tracked snow vehicles to navigate even the worst winter conditions. Lite Trax Snowtrax vehicles are specially designed to traverse snow and ice and tackle heavy jobs with ease. So if you’re in need of a winter vehicle for even the worst of conditions, contact us today!