Driving In the Snow: How to Stay Safe This Winter Season
Winter driving can be difficult in Wisconsin, especially during times of heavy precipitation that leaves ice and snow on the roads. This causes vehicles to lose traction, resulting in skidding, sliding, and fishtailing. In many cases, this can result in an accident, particularly at high speeds. Here are some winter driving tips and how you can keep yourself and your family safe this winter season.
Make Sure Your Car Can Handle the Weather
It’s always a good idea to be proactive versus reactive, especially when it comes to your vehicle. When the weather starts to get cold, it’s important that you make sure your vehicle is up to the tasks ahead. Swap your all-season tires out for winter tires and make sure your brakes are in good shape to be driving on snow and ice. When you bring your vehicle into any of our Little Wolf Auto locations, ask one of our experienced auto repair technicians for other recommended winter driving tips.
Have Any Auto Repair Done As Soon As Possible
While delaying necessary auto repair is never a good idea, this can become particularly problematic in the winter. Driving on snow and ice is already more challenging in a vehicle well-equipped for the job. If your car has a problem, it could quickly get worse, potentially causing an accident or leaving you stranded on the side of the road in the cold weather.
Keep an eye out for any indicators that your car needs a new belt, brakes, tires, battery, or other critical component and have it addressed as soon as you can. Ultimately the best way to keep an eye out, is to schedule a maintenance appointment. One of our trusted technicians will go over all of this and more to ensure your peace of mind while driving this winter!
Go Slower Than You Normally Do
When you have little to no traction in your vehicle, speed is your worst enemy. Stopping, turning, and otherwise maneuvering your vehicle is more difficult when it’s slick outside and your car may not respond in the way you anticipate when you adjust the wheel or press the brake pedal. By going much slower than you normally do, you give yourself extra time and extra control to handle any swerving or skidding that occurs due to the weather.
Brush Up On Your Safe Driving Skills
Imagine that driving in the snow is like driving your grandmother around while holding a pot of boiling hot soup in her Sunday best. Your job is to get her from point A to point B without spilling the hot liquid, possibly causing injury and ruining the outfit. To do this, you have to drive extra slow and avoid stopping and starting too quickly.
You’ll need to allow plenty of time to get to where you’re going and will want to stay alert so you can react to traffic and your surroundings ahead of time. You don’t want to be surprised by a car slamming on their brakes in front of you or caught off guard by a bridge that froze before the rest of the road did. This is highly similar to how you should approach driving on ice and snow.
How Little Wolf Auto Can Help Your Family Stay Safe In Waupaca, WI
At Little Wolf Auto, our customers are like family. We want to help make sure your family is ready for safe driving in Waupaca, WI this winter. Contact us today to schedule your vehicle service appointment.
