We all get excited those first few days in March when we get a glimpse of warm weather and the snow melts away. Unfortunately for all of us here in Northern Ohio, Winter doesn’t end for another week or so. Starting tonight the rain will once again turn to the white stuff and driving conditions may deteriorate.
So what better time to refresh our winter driving tips, hopefully one last time.
- First and above all, slow down. Plan to take a little extra time to get to your destination. People who are constantly in a hurry often make bad decisions due to stress.
- Make sure you have plenty of assured cleared distance between you and the car in front of you. It doesn’t matter if you have 4 wheel drive or not, all cars break the same. It takes distance for momentum to be slowed to the point of a safe stop.
- Gradually accelerate, and turn. Many times the best defense is to lift your foot off of the gas pedal under and over bridges and through turns. This is the best defense against spinning out.
- Try out your anti-lock breaks on an empty section of your street on in a vacant part of a parking lot to make sure you are comfortable with how they operate in snowy conditions.
- Don’t use your cruise control in poor weather conditions.
- Don’t use your cell phone, but make sure it is fully charged when you head out to your destination.
- Be leery of snow covered cars or trucks. Those chunks of snow can fly off at any point.
- Don’t forget a jacket and gloves in case you get a flat or get stuck for awhile.
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The best defense against acclimate weather is to avoid driving unless you have too.
