Winter Driving - Are You Ready?

Snow ..... it can be a beautiful scene, and yet dangerous to drive in, if your not used to it. Where I live, we get it every year in winter. We are used to it, and know how to drive in it.

You can not be in a hurry with snow, Go out, start the car and warm it up for a little bit before you go anywhere! It's best to have half a tank or more of gas in the car during the winter. You can not go driving like a bat out of you know what, when there's snow on the ground! And drive slow and easy. Leave early to wherever you need to go, take your time....and you'll get there. It just takes plain common sense to drive on snow.

Blizzards

If it's a bad one... you'll not be going anywhere anytime soon! Usually, you will hear a day or two ahead of one coming, get to the store, stock up on things: food and med's for about a week, especially if you are in the country. In the city, it may only be a couple day's, but in the rural area's it will be longer, so be prepared for a long stay at home.

It's not as bad now, as it was when I was growing up. Now they can get to the rural area's faster. But 30 or 40 years ago, we was stuck in the house for a month at a time almost! Blizzards can also be a fun time. With schools closed no doubt, the kid's love playing in the snow, making snowmen's, going sleighing and other winter fun.

After the snow has piled up from a blizzard , and stopped snowing and you MUST get out, be prepared! Start out extra early, put a couple warm heavy blanket's in the car.... Small amount of snacks or other foods and drink, just in case you get stuck outside in the car. In the trunk, it's good to place something real heavy like some bricks, or something, to give you some extra traction in the snow. And don't forget the cell phone!

Black Ice

Black ice is one of the most dangerous things in winter driving. Black ice looks like water on the road, but yet it's pure ice! Once you hit this, there's almost nothing you can do. The ice itself is not really black, but the way the ice forms in extreme cold, there's no sign of snow or slush in it. You can get black ice anytime day or night. But is especially dangerous at night, when the water on the road re-freezes, as temperatures get colder.

We all need to drive sometime during the winter, and in snow.... Just take a couple precautions , some common sense, learn to leave a little early and to drive slow. We'll all make it through a beautiful white winter!