Driving in winter weather can be tricky and all the normal rules of driving in other weather get thrown out the window the minute the weather turns bad and the roads turn icy. Here are four tips for winter driving that can help keep your car out of the body shop and your insurance rates intact. If everyone drove used cars Las vegas, this wouldn’t be a problem, but more than half the country lives in cold winter weather.
– Use bags of sand or kitty litter to add weight to the back end of a truck
Empty truck beds are notoriously light, which keeps rear tires from getting good traction, which can lead to the back end spinning out of control. Keeping something heavy in the bed of the truck helps create better traction for rear tires. As an added benefit, the sand or kitty litter itself can also be used under tires to create better traction if the truck becomes stuck in deep snow.
– Pump your brakes gently when first starting out to determine road conditions
It can be difficult to differentiate between a wet road and a road covered in black ice. When you first start driving and are moving fairly slowly with no other cars in your immediate area, pump your brakes lightly to determine the road conditions. If you slip and slide, proceed with caution. If you immediate begin to stop with no slipping or sliding, then the road is merely wet and not icy.
– Keep an emergency kit in your car at all times
Vehicles break down and not always at a time when it is safe or convenient for them to do so. When driving in cold weather, it’s always a good idea to keep water, an emergency blanket, flares and other items handy in your car that can help you weather bad weather in case of a break down – particularly if you are traveling through an area with little traffic or bad cell service. It’s always best to be prepared.
– Check tire pressure
Tires need good traction to perform best in poor driving conditions and under inflated tires can inhibit performance. Moisture in the air contracts and expands based on temperature. When the temperature starts to dip, the contraction of moisture in the air can affect your tire pressure.
Driving in winter involves poor weather conditions that make driving safely more challenging. Not everyone can drive used cars Las Vegas, so for the rest of us, I hope these tips help!
Author: Mellisa Brewer
