When the cold weather starts to move in, everyone's thoughts move to the dangers of driving in the cold weather. You could find yourself at the wrong end of a personal injury lawsuit if you don't heed good advice on driving in the snow and ice.
The most practical advice for safe driving in the winter is to leave your house earlier than normal to get to your destination and drive slowly to help maintain control of your vehicle. But there are other pieces of advice that can help you to stay safe when driving in the winter and avoid being taken to court for your careless driving actions.
Extra weight in the back of your car is going to help you maintain control when the roads get icy. People will often put bags of sand or unmixed concrete in their trunk or back seat to give the extra weight you need to stay safe. It doesn't take much weight to give you extra control, and that extra weight could be the difference between staying safe or getting in an accident.
You should buy new windshield wipers at least once a year, and the best time to buy those wipers is right before winter starts. These days, they have wipers designed to be able to handle the heavy snow and other windshield issues that occur during the winter. When you get those heavy duty wipers, you will always be able to see where you are going during the winter, day or night.
Most people have all-season radial tires, which means that they do not change over to snow tires when the weather gets cold. But having all-season tires does not absolve you of the responsibility of having your tires checked prior to each winter. Your mechanic will let you know if you need to have your tires replaced, and they may also recommend tires that will last longer in the cold weather.
A winter first aid kit is a standard first aid kit with some added pieces specifically for the winter. A blanket, road flares, sweatpants, and a jacket should be added to your first aid kit to keep you safe in the winter. If you find that you have to pull over to the side of the road during a nasty storm, then the blanket will keep you warm and the flares will warn drivers that you are parked along the side of the road.
One of the best pieces of advice when it comes to safe winter driving is to stay home instead of challenging the weather during the winter. If you are having dinner with friends or meeting the guys out for the ball game and the weather is kicking up, then stay home instead. If you try to test Mother Nature during the middle of a bad winter storm, then you will usually fail that test.
During the winter, the number of personal injury lawsuits associated with driving incidents tends to increase. If you want to avoid being a part of that statistic, then take the proper precautions before you head out in the winter weather.
