The winter months are a challenging time to operate vehicles safely. Severe winter weather can make road conditions incredibly dangerous and impact your visibility. Additionally, the weather may impact the integrity of certain parts of your vehicle. Here are five essential reminders for safe driving during the winter months.
#1. Double Check Your Tires
A drop in temperature can negatively impact your tire pressure. With every ten degrees in which the temperature drops, your tire’s PSI drops by one. Under-inflated tires put a great deal of unnecessary strain on your vehicle, and they can make your turns unbalanced and dangerous. You should always check your tire’s pressure before operating your vehicle in cold weather, especially if you haven’t checked it since the temperature dropped.
Additionally, if you live in an area that experiences extreme winter weather, consider upgrading to winter tires to improve your tread.
#2. Leave More Stoppage Distance
Cold weather means icy roads, and icy roads result in less traction for your vehicle. You may have a challenging time making a complete stop on the road, so you need to give the person in front of you plenty of room. Even if you have new brakes, you’ll likely have difficulty coming to a complete stop in the event that the person in front of you stops unexpectedly.
If you drive over a slippery patch of ice, avoid slamming on your brakes. Instead, take your foot off of the gas and gently tap your brakes. Additionally, if the rear of your vehicle is sliding in a particular direction, you should steer your car in the same direction.
Also, never drive with cruise control when traversing icy roads. When driving over ice, you might be inclined to de-activate cruise control by suddenly hitting your brakes, which can be dangerous on ice.
#3. Check your battery, wipers, and fluid
Temperature drops negatively impact your car battery because the battery is powered by a chemical reaction. The cold weather slows down this chemical reaction, so your battery may die in the cold weather, especially if it’s been inactive. Consider testing your battery at a repair shop. If the battery indicates that its voltage is below 10, it will likely die soon. The last thing you want is to be stranded on the road during the winter months, so make sure your battery is healthy.
You also need to ensure your windshield wipers are ready to take on the challenging winter months. The cold weather and precipitation often hurt visibility on the road, so consider replacing your windshield wipers. Additionally, you should make sure your wiper fluid is full so that you’re prepared for harsh precipitation.
#4. Ensure You Don’t Get Locked Out of Your Vehicle
When the weather drops, there’s a significant chance that your car’s locks will freeze. You can unfreeze your car’s locks by using hand sanitizer or deicer. All you need to do is apply one of the solutions to the locks to unfreeze them. Consider adding one of these items to your keyring so that you always have it available.
Additionally, you need to make sure that your gas tank remains at least half-full during the winter months. This prevents your gas tank and fuel lines from freezing.
#5. Pack an Emergency Kit and Essential Items
Even when your vehicle is prepared to navigate the winter roads, there could be an unforeseeable situation that leaves you stuck on the side of the road. Consider packing an emergency kit in case you become stranded. Pack a snow shovel, ice scraper, water bottles, jumper cables, non-perishable food, antibiotics, pain killers, flashlight, winter clothes, blankets, and equipment to start a fire. You also need to pack a first aid kit, which should include bandages, wraps, adhesive tapes, gauze pads, clips, hand sanitizer, tourniquets, scissors, and dressings and ointments for burns.
Additionally, you can pack a portable power source in case you need to charge your phone to call for help.
Need to Protect Your Classic Car? Get Classic Auto Insurance
It can be incredibly difficult to navigate your vehicle during the winter months. If you have a classic, vintage, or luxury vehicle, you need top-notch insurance to protect it in the event that you wreck, especially if you drive it in unfavorable weather conditions. Get premium and affordable insurance you can count on with Classic Auto Insurance. We provide inflation guard, agreed-upon value, and we even include free year-round roadside assistance. Click here for a quote or call our car experts at 888-901-1338.
