Bad Weather Driving - Safe Traveling Tips for Dangerous Roads

Bad weather driving is a fact of life for millions upon millions of inhabitants of this planet, and staying safe while travelling, even in inclement weather, should be a top priority. However, too many people, especially those who are "just running to the store" or "around the corner", fail to realize that poor visibility and dangerous roadways can wreak havoc on an otherwise simple trip, regardless of whether they are travelling two miles or two-thousand miles.

By planning ahead for the bad weather and the problems it may throw at you, you will be better prepared to handle unfortunate situations if they do happen to you.

Rainy Weather Driving

A heavy rain, especially if it's accompanied by strong winds, can decrease your visibility exponentially. And, if you can't see because of a downpour, you can bet your bottom dollar that other drivers can't see either, which can lead to a potentially dangerous situation on the roadways.

There are several measures that you can take to prepare yourself, and better protect yourself for days when you have to travel in rainy weather.

Be sure your vehicles lights are in good working order

Properly working headlamps, turn signals, and hazard signals are imperative in bad weather driving conditions. The more visible you are the less likely it is that somebody will hit you, and it's always a good idea to be able to see in front of you when you're driving, regardless of the weather outside your vehicle.

Not only should you be sure that your exterior lights are working, you should be sure that they are clean and unobstructed from the elements and "grime". Some older vehicles that have plastic headlamps actually develop a film that dims the brightness of the headlights considerably. This can cause your headlights to be more of a translucent or even opaque obstruction than a transparent headlight. If this has happened to your vehicle, you can use a fine-grain sandpaper with some sort of oil -- clean motor oil should suffice -- to remove this film and somewhat restore the transparency of the headlamp.

Maintain a clean windshield and good windshield wipers

When there is a heavy rain pouring down, the last thing you need is windshield wipers that do not work or that fail to keep water out of your way so that you can see the road and vehicles in front of you. When it's your safety, your family's safety, and the safety of others on the line, the $20-$30 it will cost you to purchase a decent set of windshield wipers is well-worth the minimal cost.

If you don't know how to change your own windshield wipers, that's generally a non-issue; there are many auto parts stores, and even oil-change stations, that will change them for free when you purchase the windshield wipers from their location.

Windshield treatment / weather repellent products

Having a good set of windshield wipers is important, but using water and weather repellent products, such as Rain-X, can give you added protection when you're trying to keep visibility while driving in rainy weather to a maximum. While windshield treatment products are not permanent and need to be re-applied from time to time, you can expect that these products will help you to repel rain for anywhere from two months to five months, at least according to user experiences.

Rain-X and other similar products are not meant to replace windshield wipers, but some people have noticed that by treating their vehicles windshields, they displace water better with Rain-X alone than when using their windshield wipers -- it's certainly worth a try.

Driving on snow and ice

Driving in snowy weather and on icy roadways can be very dangerous, and taking the proper precautions in this type of weather not only can help save your vehicle, it could potentially save your life.

If you happen to live in a location where snow accumulates seasonally, as opposed to snow being a fact-of-life year-round, you've probably observed that after the first snowfall there are hundreds of accidents and people in the ditch within a short period of time. It's unfortunate, but it seems that when snow is a seasonal issue, people have to learn how to drive in it again. This makes knowing how to drive in snowy weather, and being prepared for the various problems that could surface, even more important.

Invest in good tires and keep them at the right pressure

If you're driving in snow or ice -- you absolutely need a good set of tires on your vehicle. Tires that are balding, or that do not have a good amount of tread life on them can be problematic -- to say the least -- on slippery roads. They can cause you to lose control while driving at a seemingly safe speed, and they can prevent you from being able to slow down or stop suddenly if you need to. The recommended tread depth for snow driving tires at least 6/32". You can measure the tread depth of your tire by taking a penny with the 'tails' side facing you, placing it inside your tire's tread upside down, and looking for the tread to cover the top of the Lincoln Memorial. If it does, this is considered a safe tread depth for your tire when driving in snow.

Improperly inflated tires, regardless of their remaining tread, can also cause problem for safe snow driving. If your tires are over-inflated, or have too much air in them, this can cause you to lose traction because the tread canals are "bulging", which takes away some of their possible grip, or "bite". If your tires are under-inflated, or have too little air in them, you may gain a small amount of traction if driving on deep snow, but not only will it decrease your vehicle's gas mileage and cause your tires to wear prematurely, underinflated tires may cause you to lose traction when driving on wet or icy surfaces.

Clean snow off your vehicle before heading out

Blowing snow can decrease your visibility exponentially. However, a torrential snowstorm isn't the only visibility-degrading obstacle that bad weather drivers face -- sometimes it's the very snow that is on their vehicle. Before you head out the door, be sure that you clean off the front of your car or truck -- remove the snow from your windshield, hood, headlights, and front bumper. While driving, any snow that remains on the front of your vehicle will inevitably wind up passing by your windshield -- either degrading your visibility or scaring you -- neither of which are good when you're driving in bad weather.

Also, removing all of the snow from your vehicle -- from the hood, the top of your car, and the rear -- may help to keep the dangerous roadways a tad bit safer. While the piles of snow on the top, or back, of your vehicle will not likely cause problems with your own visibility, sheets of ice or snow flying off from your vehicle while driving do pose dangers to other drivers and those around them. For the safety of everybody on the road, especially when driving in snowy weather, it's a good idea to keep your vehicle free of excess snow and ice -- from front to back.

Be alert and drive defensively

It's unfortunate, but not all drivers on the road pay attention at all times. In order to compensate for this, you need to be aware of not only the vehicles around you, but what they are doing as well. If you see a car or truck driving too quickly for the conditions, put some distance between you and their vehicle. If you see a vehicle in front of you starting to lose control, you'll need to make split-second checks for vehicles coming up behind you, potential dangers beside you, all while making a decision on how you need to react in case another driver loses control of their vehicle.

Along with paying attention to other drivers, you also need to pay attention to your surroundings. If there's concrete to your left and a steep ditch to your right, or a forest right off the expressway -- you need to keep these things in mind while you're driving so that you can make informed split-second decisions about the safest place to steer your vehicle in case of an emergency.

Be prepared in case you're stranded

Driving in winter can be dangerous by itself, but sometimes the biggest dangers do not present themselves until you're on the road, but not actually moving. Being stranded in the wintertime, especially in a heavy snowstorm, can be exceedingly dangerous on a number of levels. For instance, you could freeze or develop hypothermia if your vehicle won't start, you could become dehydrated, or you could be stranded in the middle of nowhere for hours -- or more -- without any way to call out for help. Especially if you're travelling via highway or freeway -- you need to be prepared in case you're stranded during winter travel.

Emergency car kits are available all over -- in local department stores and online in too many places to count. You could, ideally, even create your own emergency car kit. You should be sure that, at a minimum, your winter car kit includes water, snack foods like high-calorie fruit bars, granola bars, nuts, or beef jerky, a cell phone with a full charge, and a flashlight with good batteries. If you have the space, however, you really should consider keeping extra clothing, snow boots, flares, a shovel, and even strips of carpeting to place under your tires if your vehicle becomes stuck.

While all of these bad weather driving tips can be exceptionally helpful, probably the best advice for you is to just use common sense. If the weather is bad, or worse, postpone your travels until the roadways are clear when at all possible. You can be a great driver, you can pay attention to your surroundings, and you might have the ultimate bad-weather driving machine underneath your feet, but sometimes the only way to avoid an accident or problems on the road is to just stay home.