Driving Tips You Shouldn’t Slide Past

The stats make it clear just how dangerous winter can be. Road conditions worsen, things get less visible, and the cold can affect how well our cars operate and, as such, there are many more accidents and collisions. For that reason, it’s important to go over some winter driving tips to help you keep safe.

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Drive less

It might sound unhelpful, initially, but you should really ask yourself when and whether you should be on the road in the first place. If you don’t have a care equipped with winter tires and have trouble even getting out of the driveway, sit back and consider a different way of getting where you need to be. For longer trips, always check for forecasts and public alerts on Weather.gc.ca before setting out.

Get your car serviced

Regular car maintenance is essential for keeping you safe on the road at the best of times. The cold, moisture, and wind of winter can all beat your car up even more than usual, so it’s important to have it checked out and know what you need to do to take care of it. Ensure your oil levels are right, test your battery to see the cold hasn’t drained it, top up on your antifreeze and clean your lights before heading out. 

Change your tires

Adapt your car to make sure it’s winter ready. Get an update on the road conditions and choose the tires that are equipped to help you deal with it. Stores like Goodtirecalgary.ca make it easy to have the tires you need, whether it’s snow tires, ice tires, or just a good pair of fresh reliable tires. Traction becomes harder to keep in the winter so don’t take any chances. Make sure to check your tire pressure regularly during the winter, as well. You can’t take any chances that could affect your ability to control yourself on the road.

Know how to deal with a skid

You don’t want to get into a skid, but it’s important to know how to deal with when they happen, as shown by Driving-Test-Success.com. A portion of black ice that you failed to spot it all it takes. The important thing is that you keep both hands on the wheel. If the skid happened while you were accelerating, take your foot off the gas. If your rear end is skidding, turning into the skid is your best chance at gaining control. For a front wheel skid, pressing on the brakes and keeping the steering wheel straight is more likely to help you take control.

Practice defensive driving

Any potentially dangerous situation on the road becomes significantly more serious in the winter. As such, it’s important to learn more about defensive driving, how to spot threats, and how to remove yourself from risky situations no matter what. 

If you’re every really concerned about driving in winter, the safest course of action is to not go out on the road. Otherwise, hopefully this tips help you stay safe out there.