Winter Driving Tips

Winter driving can be inconvenient, annoying, and even infuriating. Winter is by far the most difficult driving season. Not only do you have snow and ice to deal with, but there are fewer hours of daylight as well. Using our tips below, you can offset those aggravations and be prepared for winter driving.

Here are some routine precautions:

• Get an engine tune-up in the fall. Switch to winter-weight oil if you aren’t already using all-season oil. Be sure all lights are in good working order. Adjust the brakes.
• Battery and voltage regulator should be checked. Make sure battery connections are good.
• If the battery terminal posts seem to be building up a layer of corrosion, clean them with a paste of baking soda and water. Let it foam, and then rinse with water. Apply a thin film of petroleum jelly to the terminal posts to prevent corrosion, and reconnect.
• Be sure all fluids are at proper levels. Antifreeze should not only be strong enough to prevent freezing, but fresh enough to prevent rust.
• Make sure wiper blades are cleaning properly. Consider changing to winter wiper blades, which are made for driving in snow. They are covered with a rubber boot to keep moisture away from working parts of the blade.
• Don’t idle a cold vehicle’s engine to warm it up – it could harm the engine. The right way to warm up a vehicle is to drive it.

Here’s what you’ll want to have on hand, especially in an emergency:

• Snow shovel.
• Scraper with a brush on one end.
• Tow chain or strap.
• Tire chains.
• Flashlight (with extra batteries).
• Abrasive material (cat litter, sand, salt, or traction mats).
• Jumper cables.
• Warning device (flares or reflective triangles).
• Brightly colored cloth to signal for help.
• Empty coffee or similar type can containing candles, matches (in a water tight container) or a lighter, high-energy food (chocolate or dried fruit, for example).
• Sleeping bags or blankets, ski caps, and mittens.
• First-aid supplies.
• Compass.

If you should find yourself stuck, here’s what to do:

• Turn your wheels from side to side a few times to push snow out of the way. Using a light touch on the gas, ease forward. Don’t spin your wheels, which digs in deeper.
• Rocking the vehicle is another way to get unstuck. Shift from forward to reverse, and back again. Each time you’re in gear, lightly touch on the gas until the vehicle moves.
• Front-wheel drive vehicles, snow tires should be on the front – the driving axle – for better traction in mud or snow.
• Stay in your vehicle. Don’t wander and get lost or frostbitten.
• Run the engine for heat about once every hour, or every half hour in severe cold. Clean snow from around the end of the tail pipe to prevent carbon monoxide buildup. For extra heat, burn a candle inside a coffee can – but don’t set the can on fabric seats. Make sure the vehicle is NOT air tight, by opening a window a little.
• Clear outside heater vents. That’s the grill under the windshield.
• Avoid alcohol. It lowers body temperature and will cause you to become drowsy.
• Leave one window cracked. Freezing winds and wet snow can quickly seal a vehicle.
• Signal to other motorists that you’re stranded by using flares or flashlights, or by tying a piece of brightly colored cloth to the radio antenna.

If you get stranded:

If your rear wheels start to skid:

• Turn the steering wheel in the direction you want the front wheels to go. If your rear wheels are sliding left, steer left. If they’re sliding right, steer right.
• If your rear wheels start sliding the other way as you recover, ease the steering wheel toward that side. You might have to steer left and right a few times to get your vehicle completely under control.
• If your car has an anti-lock braking system (ABS), keep your foot on the pedal. If not, pump the pedal gently, pumping more rapidly as your car slows down. Braking hard with non-anti-lock brakes will make the skid worse.

If your front wheels skid:

• Take your foot off the gas and shift to neutral, but don’t try to steer immediately.
• As the wheels skid sideways, they will slow the vehicle and traction will return. As it does, steer in the direction you want to go. Then put the transmission in “drive” or release the clutch, and accelerate gently.

To avoid skids, brake carefully and gently on snow or ice. “Pump” your brakes in slow, steady strokes. Allow the wheels to keep rolling. If they start to lock up, ease off the brake pedal. As you slow down, you may also want to shift into a lower gear. When sleet, freezing rain or snow start to fall, remember that bridges, ramps, and overpasses are likely to freeze first. Also be aware that slippery spots may still remain after road crews have cleared the highways.