Of course, the best advice anyone can give you is not to drive unless you have to, but most of us have the tendency to find ourselves in need-to situations. So AAA recommends that motorists keep emergency supplies in the vehicle, including a cell phone, boots, gloves, blanket, a "coffee can heater," flashlight and reflective triangle.
AAA recommends the following tips for winter driving:
- Before starting out in snowy weather, take time to remove the snow from the entire car so it doesn't blow onto your windshield or the windshields of other drivers. Make sure your mirrors and lights are clean.
- Drive with your low-beam headlights illuminated.
- Watch for icy surfaces on bridges and intersections, even when the rest of the road seems to be in good condition.
- Look farther ahead in traffic. Actions by other drivers will alert you to problems and give you extra seconds to react.
- When changing lanes, avoid cutting in front of trucks, which need more time and distance than passenger vehicles to stop.
- Don't use cruise control in precipitation and freezing temperatures.
- Remember that four-wheel drive helps you to get going quicker, but it won't help you stop any faster.
- Apply constant, firm pressure to the pedal with anti-lock brakes.
Preparing for frigid weather conditions will help keep your vehicle on the road, advises AAA Michigan. Motorists can help keep their vehicles on the road by doing the following:
- Check your battery strength. Faulty batteries cause more car starting problems than any other factor. At 0 degrees, a good battery has 35 percent less starting power.
- Keep the fuel tank at least half-full to avoid fuel-line freeze-up.
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