Winter Driving Safety Tips

Safe Winter Driving Tips

Winter is coming and winter driving can be much less nerve-racking if you are prepared.

Winterize Your Vehicle

• Get a complete tune-up

• Have your tires checked for wear, proper inflation,

• Install winter wiper blades

• Pack a survival kit for out of town travel

Load up Essentials

• Brush and Scraper, Booster cables, snow shovel, flashlight, flares or reflectors, mitts, hats, boots etc.

• If you carry a cell phone, ensure it is charged before leaving home

Winter Tires

• In extreme snow, ice and slush conditions, winter tires can provide you greater control than all season tires

• Maintaining correct pressure enhances handling and traction. To find out the correct air pressure for your tires, check your vehicle manual

Driving Tips

• Black ice is one of the greatest dangers of winter driving. Black ice is a thin dark coating that forms when snow thaws and refreezes

• You never know when you may encounter black ice in the winter, ensure you always increase your following distance, slow down in advance of corners and intersections, avoid sudden changes of direction or speed.

• If you start to skid; take your foot off the gas, shift into neutral, turn in the direction you want to go and avoid using the gas and brake pedals,

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Reminder; if you don’t have anti-lock brakes and your brakes lock up, release the brake pedal and re-apply to the point just before lock-up. Remember this procedure will increase your car’s stopping distance.

Stomp, stay and steer with Anti- Lock Brakes (ABS)

The anti-lock braking system (ABS) is now standard equipment on most new vehicles sold in Canada, but many drivers still aren’t sure what ABS can and can’t do.

ABS gives you more steering control and helps you avoid skidding when you need to come to a sudden stop. But ABS doesn’t help you come to a stop faster. In fact, when traveling on snow or ice at 50 kilometres an hour, a...