Bad Weather Driving Tips

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Driving in Bad Weather

The most effective strategy for driving when weather conditions have deteriorated is very simple: Don’t drive at all!  If it’s at all possible for you to stay off the roads during heavy rainfall or a snowstorm, then by all means curl up with a good book and congratulate yourself on having reduced your risk of being involved in an automobile accident to zero.  Your insurer might not send a thank you note, but the company will certainly keep your premiums low for being accident-free.

Unfortunately, it’s not always possible to stay off rainy, icy, or snowy roads entirely.  When you find yourself in bad weather driving conditions, be sure to heighten your focus on the task at hand and adopt a highly defensive driving strategy.  We’ve outlined some additional tips and tricks for staying safe driving in bad weather situations.

Tips for Driving in Adverse Conditions

  • Take it easy.  Drive significantly slower than you would in normal conditions.  (The number one rule for driving in bad weather is: If you feel it’s too dangerous to keep up with traffic, then it’s time to pull off the road.)
  • Leave room to stop and break lightly.  Allow about three times as much room for braking as you would normally.
  • If you begin to skid, ease off the brake and steer in the direction of the skid.
  • Allow yourself extra time to reach your destination.
  • Keep your lights on at all times.
  • Completely clean all your window surfaces before beginning your trip.
  • Wipe your head lights and tail lights to ensure high visibility.
  • Use extra caution on bridges and overpasses—they’re prone to extreme iciness.
  • Don’t even think about using cruise control.

Preventative Measures

Before the onset of winter, you’ll want to give your car a complete tuneup and take special care to ensure the following:

  • Your wiper blades are in top shape—replace them every 5000 to 6000 miles
  • Your air, fuel, emission filters, and PCV valve are all in proper working order
  • Your antifreeze is calibrated at the proper freeze level
  • Your battery is strong

You’d also be wise to take the precaution of adding these items you your trunk:

  • An ice scraper and snow brush
  • Warm clothing material like heavy woolen mittens, socks, a hat, a warm jacket, and blankets
  • A Shovel
  • Tow and tire chains
  • A bag of rock salt
  • A tool kit
  • A high visibility jacket
  • Several flares and some reflective triangles

If You’re Stranded in Bad Weather, Don’t Panic

Pulling off the road to wait out awful conditions is a very reasonable strategy.  Just be sure to take some basic precautions:

  • Never leave the vicinity of your car unless you know for certain exactly how far help is and that this help will definitely improve your present situation.
  • Be sure your exhaust pipe is not blocked before continuing to run your engine and heater.
  • You can run you cars engine and heater around 10 minutes of every hour depending on how much fuel you have left.
  • Make certain that at least one of your windows remains slightly open. Extreme snow and ice conditions can seal a car shut entirely.