Driving in Snow 7 Tips to Keep You Safe Through 7 Winter Seasons

Driving in Snow
7 Tips to Keep You Safe Through 7 Winter Seasons

-by James Hamel 

This would all be so much easier if we lived like “The Jetsons” high above the clouds in elevated homes and drove flying cars, now wouldn’t it? No worries about snow tires or chains or the benefits of all wheel drive. It’s 2009, by gosh, where are the flying cars?

Well, since “The Jetsons” turned out to be a cartoon and not a portent of future events we as humans are just going to have to deal with the realities of driving in snow. Although I will go through with this list and give 7 tips to keep you safe while driving through snow there really is only one secret and one secret alone: SLOW DOWN! Yeah, in most cases it really is as simple as that.

Number One: If you live in a very snowy region invest in a nice set of snow tires. Then when spring comes around switch them out for a fun pair of performance summer tires. It can be a hassle to have to have them swapped out each season but if you can afford to have two sets of tires running at the same time you will feel secure in winter and have fun driving your car in the summer time. Also, snow tires wear quickly on dry roads.

Number Two: If you have a pickup truck load at least 4 50 pound bags of granulated salt (available at hardware stores) into the cargo bed to help improve traction. Most pickup trucks are rear wheel drive and there is very little weight usually over those tires usually so they scramble for traction. It may hurt your fuel economy but it will do wonders for how well your truck handles the snow.

Number Three: Make sure your tires are properly inflated. Too little inflation you could get stuck and too much you could wind up skidding and skidding and skidding. There is nothing worse than skidding on ice.

Number Four: Make sure that the snow tires you do have actually have tread on them. If the snow tires are bald they aren’t going to do you much use.

Number Five: Avoid using the parking brake on extremely cold nights because the parking brake line might freeze and you won’t be able to move your car.

Number Six: Pack a Winter Safety Kit in Your Car. Keep water, unperishable snacks and warm clothes in the car as you never know when you might get lost and veer off a snowy embankment. If you are stuck in the winter cold in your car you want to have at least something to keep you sustained and warm until help arrives.

Number Seven: Again, if you think you are going an okay speed on a snowy night drop it by ten miles per hour. It is better to be a half hour late than never arrive at all. And don’t forget to wear your safety belt. If you get into an uncontrollable slide try your best to steer into it and come to a stop as soon as possible. Good luck out there!

Do you have any tips for driving in snow? Please share in the comments below.