Whether you plan on a short trip down the road or a long road trip along our nation’s great highways, there are things you need to do before you roll out in winter. Take a look at these driving tips so you’ll be safe and sound while you’re out and about during the coldest season.
Pre-Drive Vehicle Care
It’s always wise to stay up to date on vehicle maintenance. It’s especially important to get your vehicle checked out before a long drive, particularly if it’s on a long interstate and you plan to drive through sparsely populated areas. Take a short trip to your local mechanic or oil change shop and have them check for worn hoses, battery problems, leaks, and parts in need of repair or replacement. They will ensure that your antifreeze is at the proper level, along with your oil, brake fluid, transmission fluid, and other vital liquids.
Go to the dealer you bought your vehicle from when you can. They’ll have the most up-to-date information on recalls and part updates, making them the most capable people available to service your vehicle. The last thing any driver wants is for a recalled part to break down when they are far from everyone in the snow.
Stock Your Vehicle With Important Supplies
No one can foresee the future, but we can all prepare for it responsibly before a trip through the cold. Make sure you pack a snow shovel, jumper cables, an ice scraper, a set of refillable water bottles (preferably with filters), a flashlight, road flares, and thick jackets and blankets. Portable power sources for your small devices will ensure that your phone doesn’t go dead at the worst possible moment. Keep a stock of hearty, non-perishable food handy, along with fire-starting equipment, water purification tablets, over-the-counter pain pills, and antibiotic products.
Of all of the basic items you can carry during a long trip in winter, none is more important than a full first-aid kit. Having one during an emergency can make the difference between life and death. Make sure that it’s a full kit, as many partial versions are available on the market. A full kit will include a suture kit, various bandages, wraps, adhesive tapes, gauze pads and clips of different sizes and shapes, a pair of heavy-duty scissors for cutting away clothing, burn dressings and ointments, hand sanitizer, tourniquets, and more.
Plan Your Route Carefully
Make sure you have your trip mapped out from start to finish. Include not only your starting point, destination, and basic route, but the best spots to stop for gas and supplies along the way based on the distance you need to cover and your vehicle’s fuel capacity. Many GPS systems and route planning websites will offer you a few route options with variations in travel time. It is tempting to always choose the shortest route, but you’ll be glad you took the more populated one if something goes wrong and you have to hunker down to wait for help.
Create Your Own Safety Checklist
Don’t trust the work of others alone to ensure that everything is as it should be before a journey. Use a checklist to cover everything you can yourself so you can be absolutely certain that you are ready before you head out. Low temperatures have a negative impact on battery power levels, so use a portable multimeter to check this. These devices can be obtained at a low cost at most hardware stores. Inspect your headlights, taillights, and brake lights, making sure that they all function properly.
Check your oil, antifreeze, and coolant levels, and make sure they are where they should be according to your vehicle’s owners manual. Use a flashlight to inspect the areas around the liquid reservoirs to check for leaks. If you find any, make sure they are sealed or that the compromised reservoir is replaced before you drive. Make sure your floor mats are where they should be. It may seem like a meaningless detail, but you don’t want an improperly placed mat getting in the way of your foot reaching a pedal at a pivotal moment.
Inspect and Fortify Your Tires
Image via Flickr by Matt Popovich.
It’s best to check your tire pressure at least once a month, but it’s especially vital that you check it before a trip in winter. If you are going to be moving through territory where the snowpack is likely to cause problems, make sure that your tires can handle it. Some tires are rated for cold weather and pushing through snow, while others are ill-equipped for the task.
It is best to avoid trying to push through deep snow, but if you have no choice but to drive through it, take tire chains with you. They’ll help you maintain maximum traction on snow and ice. Systems are available that deploy these chains onto your tires with the push of a button, so ask your dealer for details. Bring coarse material with you, like gravel or cat litter. These substances can be poured around your tires to increase traction.
What To Do If You Get Stranded
Unless there is a warm and occupied building within sight, it’s best to avoid leaving your vehicle. Use your onboard emergency communication device or your phone to contact emergency services immediately and use flares to make yourself visible to rescuers. You and your passengers should wrap yourselves in emergency blankets and jackets to keep warm. Run your vehicle for no more than 10 minutes every hour to maintain heat levels and ensure that the exhaust pipe remains clear to avoid hazardous gas buildup in the cabin.
With all of these bases covered, you will be able to hit the open road safely, secure in the knowledge that you’ve done all you can to protect the well-being of your passengers. The professionals at Tom Kadlec Kia have even more useful information related to maintaining vehicle safety in winter. Our staff is more than happy to answer any questions you might have.
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