What are your tips for winter/night driving...?

Friendly Stranger..

Here are a few tips for driving in wintry conditions along with driving at night.

Driving safely on icy roads

1. Decrease your speed and leave yourself plenty of room to stop. You should allow at least three times more space than usual between you and the car in front of you.
2. Brake gently to avoid skidding. If your wheels start to lock up, ease off the brake.
3. Turn on your lights to increase your visibility to other motorists.
4. Keep your lights and windshield clean.
5. Use low gears to keep traction, especially on hills.
6. Don't use cruise control or overdrive on icy roads.
7. Be especially careful on bridges, overpasses and infrequently traveled roads, which will freeze first. Even at temperatures above freezing, if the conditions are wet, you might encounter ice in shady areas or on exposed roadways like bridges.

Driving at night

* Prepare your car for night driving. Keep headlights, tail lights, signal lights and windows (inside and out) clean.

* Have your headlights properly aimed. Mis-aimed headlights blind other drivers and reduce your ability to see the road.

* Don't drink and drive. Not only does alcohol severely impair your driving ability, it also acts as a depressant. Just one drink can induce fatigue.

monkey_moo_moo

Pack a blanket and a good bright torch with spare batteries just in case you break down

The Great Escape

Ensure that the car is in good condition and is serviced. Drive more carefully than usual and if it is below freezing, treat every road as though it is icy. Keep a good distance from the vehicle in front.

Join a motoring organisation such as AA or RAC in case of breakdown.

mary b

in order to not be blinded by oncoming cars, use the yellow line on the right as a guide for maintaining your lane. By realigning your point of view down and to the right, you can still watch the road and not be distracted by the bright lights which always seem more intense in the snow and rain. Also, if it is raining or snowing heavily, try to watch closer to the front end of the car as opposed to as far down the road as possible. You can freak yourself out by thinking about what you can't see. Don't only concentrate on the front, but do look near and far to prevent tunnel vision. This will help you to remain in control and calm.
Most important: keep an emergency road side assistance kit in the car at all times. It should include a flashlight batteries, jumper cables, blanket rope tire iron and always a filled spare. Keep your cell phone charged also, just in case you do have an emergency.

To sum up be calm be educated and be prepared.

UCANTCME

Many people get into trouble by assuming the roads will not be slippery unless the temperature is freezing or below. Ice can form on road surfaces, however, anytime the air temperature drops to 40 degrees or less, especially when it is windy. Bridges and underpasses can be especially hazardous, but these are not the only locations "black ice" can form. Any low or shaded area, area surrounded by landscape, or area that has a source of water running over the pavement can also be quick to form ice. Early morning hours are especially dangerous as the moisture has had an opportunity to sit on the cold pavement and freeze.

Others find themselves in trouble during the winter while driving on roads seemingly clear or only slightly wet, and then try to stop at an intersection only to discover that it is ice-covered and slippery. This is caused by the moisture emitting from the exhaust of cars waiting at a busy intersection and quickly freezing on the pavement.

Always approach intersections cautiously.

Some other basic safety tips for winter driving include allowing extra time to arrive at your destination. Slow down and be alert for other vehicles around you that may lose control, and allow at least 4 seconds between vehicles. Troopers also recommend you allow no less than a car-length in front of you when you are stopped behind another vehicle at a slippery intersection, and then watch your rear-view mirror for cars that may approach you too fast from behind. Often this extra margin of safety will allow you to pull forward in the event that an approaching vehicle begins to slide. If the intersection is slippery you can signal other drivers to the danger by turning on your hazard flashers.

If you find yourself beginning to slide on snow or ice, DON'T PANIC. Take your foot off the gas and DO NOT hit the brakes. Steer the front of your vehicle into the skid (the same direction you are sliding). This technique is used in both front- and rear-wheel-drive vehicles. If you must use the brakes, do not allow them to lock up; gently pump the brake pedal, unless your car is equipped with anti-lock brakes. If your car has anti-lock brakes, use a firm, steady pressure WITHOUT pumping. The grinding noise you hear and the surging you feel in the pedal is normal and indicates the brakes are working properly, allowing you to continue to steer and control the vehicle. And for you 4-wheel-drive enthusiasts, always remember that a 4-wheel-drive vehicle provides additional traction that is useful for going through deep snow, but it does not stop any faster.

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