Winter Driving Tips

1. Prepare Your Car

As the temperatures continue to drop and risky road conditions are getting harder to predict, it’s important to be prepared. Always keep a winter driving survival kit in your car, as well as an ice scraper, a small snow shovel, and road salt. Also, make sure your car is equipped with the right winter tires, and your gas tank is at least half full to avoid freezing your car’s gas lines.

2. Increase Driving Distance

It’s important to keep a safe distance from the driver in front of you when the roads are icy to avoid an accident. We recommend doubling your regular distance between you and the car in front of you to help ensure you can come to a full stop without hitting other drivers.

3. Don’t Use Cruise Control on Icy Roads

Avoid using cruise control on snowy or icy roads. It’s important to make sure you have the most control over your car as possible in risky visibility or road conditions.

4. Take Advantage of Snow Plows

It’s not always a good idea to pass a snowplow or sand truck because the driver may have low visibility of their surroundings. The road in front of the plow is worse than the road behind it, meaning that it’s safer to keep your distance behind a snowplow and drive in their plowed path.

5. Breaking Down

If your car happens to break down, make sure that your car is out of harm’s way. Make sure to stay in your car and wait for help. Run your cars heat every 10 minutes to avoid wasting too much gas and to keep you warm. Make sure there is no snow in your exhaust pipe because this could lead to carbon monoxide poisoning. Leave a window open slightly for air.

Start the new year with the knowledge necessary for safe travels in the upcoming winter months. The experts at Sun Chevrolet are dedicated to ensuring a safe and comfortable driving experience to all Washington, PA area drivers. Visit us in McMurray today!

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