If you’ve lived here in Massachusetts for any amount of time, you are no stranger to dealing with the winter weather that we have each year. Snow is festive and beautiful, but it can also cause roads to become very dangerous. If you’re going to be doing any driving in the next few months (as most of us will), make sure to brush up on the following winter driving tips, and share them with your friends and family too.
Keep your vehicle up to date on its maintenance
The first tip to being safe when driving is always to make sure that all parts of your car are working as intended. Make sure that your car has been evaluated by a mechanic, and that all fluids are at the proper level before hitting the road.
Have a Snow Emergency Kit in your car
At the start of winter, you should always add a few things to your car’s emergency kit. These items include extra sets of warm clothing and blankets and de-icing equipment, like a scraper. You can also use a small bag of kitty litter in a pinch if your car wheels don’t have enough traction to get going.
Start your vehicle safely
It may be tempting to start your car without opening the garage door (after all, it’s cold outside!) but don’t do it. Starting a car in an enclosed space can cause a harmful buildup of carbon monoxide.
Keep your tank full
To avoid gasoline freezing in your tank or gas lines, you should always keep your gas tank more than half full during the winter.
Accelerate, decelerate, and drive slowly
Speed is one of the most common causes of accidents in the winter. Because everything is wet and slick, it is more difficult to stop a car, so avoid going too fast, and don’t slam on the brakes to stop or you could hydroplane.
Avoid using cruise control
In addition to watching your speed, you should be very careful about when you use your car’s cruise control. Using it on slick surfaces can cause your car to accelerate when it has little traction, causing an accident. This is equally true in the summer during rainstorms.
Maintain a safe following distance
As noted above, slick roads mean that you should decelerate more slowly than in normal conditions. Since this is the case, you should also increase the distance that you allow between your car and the car in front of you. This will ensure that there is enough room for you to stop safely without sliding forward and causing an accident.
Avoid making trips out if the weather is bad
Truly, the only way to guarantee that you won’t have a winter-related car accident is by avoiding the roads altogether, especially if the weather is worse than usual. If you can, combine trips to limit your time spent driving, and wait for more favorable conditions to go out on the road.
One final tip that we would like to add to the list is “Make sure that your car insurance is updated.” We deal with a lot of people making claims on their car insurance policies during the winter months, and we hate to see insurance policies that aren’t up to par. Call us at 617-298-0655 for a free auto insurance policy check – before it’s too late!
