Driving Tips for Bad Weather

The roads get harder to drive and give new drivers a challenge. There is no way to know how to drive in the bad weather other than simply driving in it carefully and seeing what it is truly like to drive in the worst of snow storms and on ice, including black ice. If the weather is bad then you should stay at home, but if you need to go out, you should be extremely careful. One of the most important things to remember is to DRIVE SLOW. If need be, drive less than the speed limit, which I do when the weather is worse than normal. When driving double the distance between you and the vehicle in front of you. Turn your headlights on even in the daylight to enhance your visibility. Tell others which route you are taking in case something happens and make sure your cell phone is fully charges and emergency contacts are known; most cell phones have a special function that makes the emergency contacts a different color. Do not be overly confident. When you get too confident, you get cocky and can lose control. Again slow your speed down, that is the most important thing to know when you are driving in bad weather.

Sometimes we think that driving in rain is better than driving in the snow, but many times it could be a little worse than driving in the snow. Roads are in fact the slickest when the rain first starts to fall. Water tends to mix with motor oil on the pavement and makes the roads slippery. Things you need to do in the rain weather is again reduce your speed. It is easy to hydroplane when the roads are wet. Of course turn on your wipers and low beams. If possible stay in the middle lanes because the water tends to pool on the sides. Do not drive through standing water. Avoid braking abruptly and swerving too fast. This will again cause you to hydroplane easier. You want to check your mirrors frequently and set them in order to minimize your blind spots. Rain on your outside mirrors and rear window can distort your view. I have mentioned hydroplaning which occurs when a thin layer of water causes your tires to lose contact with to road. It is scary when it happens and here are some things you can do to help yourself in that situation: keep your hands on the wheels, ease your foot off of the accelerator. Whatever you do is not to slam on your brakes. If your brakes lock up and you begin to skid, what you do is release the brake pedal and then gently reapply the pressure. Steer gently into the direction you want to go. In order to avoid hydroplaning you of course slow down in bad weather and be sure your tires have enough tread on them.

When you are driving in fog your vision is more compromised. If possible stop on the side of the road and wait until the visibility is better. Things you can do are take all fog related warning seriously. I know there are people who don’t do this but we all need to keep ourselves and each other safe. Once again slow down, speeding is dangerous in good weather you don’t want to increase the risks by doing it in the bad weather. Turn your windshield wipers on as well as your defroster and low-beam headlights. If you have fog lights USE THEM. Using the high beams actually decreases your visibility. When you use the break use it slowly and gently, because the moisture from the fog will make the roads slick. Crack your window slightly and turn your radio down, you need to be extra cautious in the fog. If the fog is too dense for you even continue pull off to the side of the road and turn your emergency flashers on so that you can be seen from other vehicles.