Guide to Safe Winter Driving in Indiana

Driving in Indiana in the winter can be tricky, even for those of us who have lived here all our lives. Weather here varies so much and changes so quickly that it is easy to be caught in a bad situation. It could be sleeting in the morning on your way to work, snowing heavily during the day, raining in the afternoon, and freezing at night. The next day, it might be 40 degrees and sunny! Fortunately, a little patience and a little preparation is all you need to brave the Indiana winter roads. Here are some "Do's" and "Don't's" for driving in Indiana in the winter.

Do Increase Your Following Distance

When I was in high school in Indiana, I had a rear-wheel-drive boat on wheels for my first car. One winter, I was driving on a yet-to-be-plowed highway when the light turned red. I carefully touched the brake pedal of my car. It responded by immediately skidding and spinning 90 degrees across the highway. I closed my eyes and held on, convinced that I was about to die at the ripe age of 16. When the car came to a stop, I opened my eyes and looked around. I was sitting across two lanes of the highway right at the intersection. Several yards away, the people who had been driving behind me were stopped safely and waiting patiently. What could have been the tragic (in my opinion) death of a teenager turned into a mild embarrassment because the people driving around me kept a safe following distance. In the winter in Indiana, at least double your normal following distance. This will keep you from accidentally rear-ending others that begin to fish-tail on an icy road. Even if you're a confident, safe driver in a safe, road-worthy vehicle, the person in front of you might be an inexperienced teenager in the cheapest car they could find.

Don't Drive During the First Snow

I don't know what it is about Hoosiers, but we all turn dumb during the first big snow of the season. Our first snow of the 2009-2010 winter happened in November. Less than 2" of snow stuck to the roads and the ground, and you would have thought that Indiana was suffering the worst of Apocalypses. Cars skidded and slid off the road and into other cars. Plows were late getting out, so road conditions were terrible. It was chaos, and it happens every year in Indiana. Later, we would handle snowfalls of more than 6" without much trouble at all. If you can help it at all, don't drive during the first major snowfall in Indiana.

Do Drive With Your Lights On

I don't care what color your car is, gray skies and gray ground make it hard for a lot of people to see. But more commonly, many Hoosiers are impatient to completely scrape the ice off their windows or wait for them to defrost. Looking through a foggy, icy window, all that driver will be able to see are two bright headlights. If you don't have your lights on, you're invisible. Keep your lights on day and night to prevent people from pulling out in front of you at intersections or out of driveways.

Don't Drive on Bald Tires

You won't need chains on your tires to drive most places in Indiana in the winter. But you do need good tires. If the tread is getting low, replace them before it starts to snow. This will help prevent skidding and spinning out on icy roads.

Do Wait It Out

In Indiana, we have a saying: "If you don't like the weather, wait 5 minutes." Take this advice to heart when it comes to winter driving in Indiana. Waiting up to an hour or two can make a tremendous difference in the safety of your drive. This is why Indiana has two-hour delays for schools. Delaying your winter drive could make the difference between driving in the dark and driving in daylight, which is much safer. It gives the plows more time to plow and salt icy roads. Remember that the roads are much more slippery at the beginning of a snowstorm than at the end, so even waiting for a layer of snow to stick and provide a bit of extra traction will make your drive that much safer. Most employers in Indiana are comfortable letting you come in an hour or two late if the weather's bad and you call ahead. They'd rather have you there safe than not at all. Snow storms in Indiana never last for long, so don't be afraid to wait it out.

Don't Be in a Hurry

Give yourself extra time to get anywhere, or be flexible about when you arrive. Drive slowly. Do not put yourself in a situation where you have to be at Place X in Y amount of time or else everything will go wrong. If you're worried about time, you're not driving safely. You're more likely to take risks that will go very poorly on Indiana's winter roads. Even if your vehicle can handle the snow and the ice, you might get stuck behind someone who can't. So be patient, leave early, and don't hurry.

Do Keep a Stocked Emergency Kit in Your Car

The truth is you never know what will happen. This past winter, by my parents' house in north-central Indiana, traffic was blocked on a major highway for over six hours. High winds drifted snow faster than the plows could clear and salt the roads. One car slipped off the road, blocking traffic. By the time that car was cleared, so much snow and fallen and drifted onto the highway that no one else was going anywhere. Dozens of drivers were stalled overnight. Your emergency kit should include a list of emergency numbers, a blanket, a flashlight, a first aid kit, a little food and water, and basic car maintenance supplies. It is also a good idea to carry a container of cat litter and sand to throw under your tires if you get stuck in the snow or ice.