Another tip I learned recently that I think most people do not know is don’t drive on icy or wet roads with your cruise control on. If you start to slip/hydroplane the cruise control will read it as slowling down, and it will make the wheels spin faster, making the situation even more dangerous.

My bare bones emergency kit consists of:
a blanket, glow stick, candle, matches, first aid kit, fire extinguisher, puzzle book with pen, freeze dried food, a gallon of water, a sewing kit, a drinking cup, a pair of socks, a pair of shoes, one husbands shirt, small toys for kids, an old cell phone and a charger, a fully stocked bag of overnight toiletries, a jacket, a tool kit, some plastic bags, a towel, twenty dollars, an extra pair of glasses, a pocket knife, and baby wipes.

A very well organized and thorough listing. Thank you!

In addition to “don’t make extra trips” — which is good advice — plan your trips so that they’ll be more efficient (e.g. hit up all the stores that are in the same general area at one time) and consider (if you have space and funds) stocking up on more items than you normally would so that you don’t have to take all this little trips to the store to get one or two things you’re suddenly out of.

i just recently got rid of an AWD SUV and replaced it with a 2 door kinda sporty front wheel drive car and wow, is there a difference.

Your reminders are spot on.

Thanks again.

lique

The rest is great as well, but these were the reminders I needed most to hear. In addition to the comments about clear scraping above I’ll add that driving at higher speeds — such as on the highway — with a snow-covered roof is not safe. Not only can the snow blow offf onto cars behin, but as the vehicle warms from inside, the snow can come off in clumps or a sheet. This has happened to me when driving behind a non-cleared van, and my vision was unexpectedly totally obscured until I could clear the window as fast as possible. Not safe, and very scary.

I know it’s a hassle if one is running late or isn’t tall, but it can be a real hazard to others.

My thanks to the author for a well-written article.

- limiting trips is your best bet for safety. You can’t get stuck or struck if you aren’t out there in the first place, right? So, yes, a great bit of advice is to only make necessary trips.

- Knowing your route is another excellent idea. Having an alternate route planned is also a good idea. That hill you went up to get to the drug store might be a different experience on the way home going downhill. There’s usually a way around, and knowing it in advance can save you some real headaches.

- Slow down and buckle up. As strange as it may seem, there are still people who only wear a seatbelt when they feel less safe than normal. They tend to buckle up in bad weather. I’m glad they do buckle up, but they need to do it all the time. If you’re a “hop in the car and go” kind of person, some situational awareness will help. Slowing down does more than help keep you on the road, it dramatically lowers the force of any impact should things go bad. The relationship between speed and force is not linear. And the ability of most cars to absorb an impact, and the human body to survive it decrease exponentially with increased speed. Seatbelts and airbags help, but given that we are going to drive at all, the #1 defense against dying in a car crash is the simplest thing of all — slow down.

I would also add that it is absolutely essential to make sure that your vehicle is properly winterized, and that *all* proper fluid levels are maintained (not just the antifreeze/coolant levels). Having your car break down in any situation can be bad, but in winter it can be devastating. If you live in an area with any great amount of snowfall, your vehicle must be adequately equipped to deal with those conditions (tires, wiper blades, etc.)

I would also like to add that if you have a younger or newer driver in the household, it’s absolutely *necessary* to teach them how to handle a car in slippery/lowered visibility conditions. An ignorant driver is a danger to him/herself and to others.

Thanks for your list, I’ll be saving it for a rainy (or snowy) day.

Alex

The wear your seatbelt tip, is of course, paramount. There’s no excuse for not wearing one! (Personally, I think it should be illegal not to wear a seatbelt – although, it is here and some people still don’t.)

Here in D.C. people drive like idiots when it snows – they’re so afraid of a little flutter that they slow down tremendously, creep when making left turns, etc. It’s actually quite dangerous, since other drivers don’t know what they’re doing. If everyone else is going 45 MPH on the highway, don’t get on and start going at 20 MPH – that, combined with lowered visibility, is a recipe for an accident. If you don’t feel comfortable going with the general flow of traffic, get off the main roads and practice driving somewhere safe.