Tips and Preparation for Winter Driving

- Published: Dec. 8, 2009

Be prepared for winter conditions

• Dress for the weather. Even if you’re travelling just a few blocks you never know what can happen, it’s important to be prepared and dress for the conditions outside.
• Clear your windshield, lights and windows to give you proper visibility before you head out.
• Keep your gas tank full. Always have a full tank of fuel when leaving the city, you don’t want to run out of gas in an emergency, and a less-than-full tank is at greater risk of condensation and may cause gas-line freezing.
• Charge your cell phone and keep a charger in your vehicle. Always pull over some place safe to use the phone. If stranded, avoid leaving your vehicle to call for help if possible to prevent frostbite. 
• Carry a survival kit. Include blankets, non-perishable food, candles, warm boots, extra clothing and items to increase your visibility (such as road cones).
• Be careful boosting the battery of another vehicle. Review your company policy and vehicle owner’s manual. An error can cause expensive damage to the boosting vehicle's onboard computer.
• Plug in your vehicle. When temperatures plunge to double-digits below zero, vehicles not plugged in can become difficult to start. Extreme cold weakens vehicle batteries and causes engine fluids to thicken, making the engine even harder to turn over. If you can’t plug in your vehicle, you should start it every two hours to keep the engine block warm.

Drive with care in extreme weather conditions

• Drive for the conditions. Winter road conditions can change very quickly, so drive proactively, reduce your speed, leave more space between you and the vehicle in front and give yourself more time to react to avoid collisions.
• Watch for ice build-up at intersections, bridge decks and ramps and always slow down before the icy area.
• Beware of black ice. Most times a driver can't see black ice. As a general rule, if the pavement looks shiny and black instead of grey-white, slow down.
• Use gentle braking, steering and acceleration when driving on snow covered roads. For the best steering control, hold the steering wheel at a 9 and 3 o’clock position.
• Give emergency road crews room to work. Drivers should allow extra room on the road for snowplow and tow truck operators, as well as for paramedics, firefighters and law enforcement.
• Check your highway route before you leave the house. Visit AMA’s website for the latest road reports UPDATE WHEN LINKED!!! and up-to-the-minute live images from 78 web cameras at various highway locations across the province.