Winter Driving
Winter Driving: Driving safely in winter is easy once you prepare yourself for the conditions. It’s observing the road and weather conditions, your vehicle conditions and driving habits and skills.
If you follow the simple precautions you can easily build confidence driving in any situations in winter. Here are a few important points that we would like to highlight:
Winter Driving: Plan ahead
Plan ahead: Before going out for driving, plan the whole travel situation – road conditions, weather conditions, how long it takes etc. Check the weather conditions, weather forecast and get ready for the situation.
If it has a icy road condition or black ice-road you need to take extra precautions. Especially, in a severe weather situation when the temperature is -10 degree centigrade or lower, the situation can be very dangerous.
Sometimes it is wise to even avoid driving in such a situation if you can. Only drive, if you must. Also, it is good idea to have an emergency kit, which consists of shovel, blankets, extra clothes, sand, torch, some dry and can foods, water, first-aid, extra windshield washer fluids, tow-chain etc. etc.
Winter Driving: Vehicle Conditions
Vehicle Conditions: Your vehicle should be good enough for driving in the winter. Check the battery power of your car. Without it, you car may not start in lower temperatures. You need to have suitable winter tires for your vehicle.
If you are travelling off-road then your car should be good enough for that. Keep your car serviced regularly and keeping your break in optimum condition is very important. It is also very helpful if your fuel tank is full as that help to run your car smoothly in the winter weather condition.
While driving keep warm using the heating system of the car. There is no extra fuel consumption for this.
Winter Driving: Driving Habits and Skills
Driving Habits and skills: Most of the winter road accidents occur on the first day of heavy snow. Many drivers are not well prepared for this. But mainly, they do not observe the basic driving skill necessary for this new road and weather conditions.
It is wise to adopt and drive according to weather and traffic situation so that you can avoid costly mistake. Here is a list of few driving skills the you need to improving your driving habits are followings:
- Keep speed according to road conditions even the road sign shows a higher speed limit. Driving slowly helps to keep you under control in many bad situations.
- Keep sufficient distance ahead of your car – 6 seconds rules. That means if you need to break the car, you have sufficient time and distance. Sometime car will slide and skid and take longer time to stop than normal road conditions.
- Use break and acceleration slowly. Practice driving this way in safe environment in the winter road conditions.
- Do not change the lane unnecessarily.
- Drive in a lower gear or drive in D2, D3 in automatic car while going up-hill and down-hill.
- If car skids, take off your foot from the break and steer in the direction you want to go and after regain the wheels, then break smoothly.
You can get more information while driving in winter in Calgary, Canada in the following links:
How to be a Number 1 Driver? – Defensive Driving
Defensive Driving
Defensive driving is a technique of driving in a way that you drive safely in any road conditions and road situations. This helps you save time, money and lives.
There are certain actions you take while driving on the road so that you will create a safe driving environment for you and others. Here are a few actions I am listing below:
- Look ahead while driving
- Always get the big picture
- Have an escape plan in any driving situation
- Keep proper distance
- Drive in proper speed
- Avoid distractions
click here for more information: https://www.alberta.ca/defensive-driving-course.aspx
Defensive driving is really about to see what other drivers are prone to make mistakes and prediction in advance such situations and avoiding it. By breaking the old habits of distraction driving and practicing safe driving habits help you in your every days driving.
contact us for further information: https://moxiedrivingacademy.com/contact-us/