Cold Weather Driving Safety

By Spence Meyers (Source: NLTAPA Tailgate Safety Talks - Cornell Local Roads Program)

This Everyday Safety Tailgate Talk was originally published as the January 2016 “Safety Pins” by Philip E. Spiezio, Safety Officer, Washington County Office of the Safety Officer

The days are becoming shorter and cooler. As with every year each day brings a chance of severe weather. We must do our best to continue to perform our work duties as well as carry on with our personal day to day routines. Inclement weather can make this difficult and even dangerous. Some of these tips may help you in these situations.

The first consideration in slippery or even rainy weather is good tires. The demands on your tire treads increase in winter. Deeper treads help move water out of the tires’ path better than shallow ones. This helps to reduce hydroplaning which is a major cause of wrecks. Good tire tread also helps in the snow. We don’t often think about snow tires in Tennessee. People in many parts of the country, and my father in the old days, would keep an extra set of snow tires in the garage and switch out to them in winter. That, and tire chains, seems to be a bit of overkill for our recent mild winters, but good tread depth on our regular street tires (front and back) is still important.

Don’t forget the antifreeze. Again, in Tennessee we don’t have super hot days so about any level of coolant is going to keep our cars safe. And, in the winter, it rarely gets cold enough to freeze our engines. Occasionally we do have those snaps and we need to be ready for them.

Another thing we need in the winter more often is our wipers. It is a good idea to check our wiper blades. Contrary to popular belief wiper blades are not the same things as ice scrapers. Make sure your wiper blades are not frozen to your window before using them. It is a good idea to take a couple of minutes to warm up your windshield before using them. Some experts recommend leaving your wiper arms in an upright position over night in cold weather. This is especially true if an ice storm is predicted. It is important that everything is ready under the hood as well. Check your fluids. Of course we should always check our oil but also our wiper fluid. Salt spray on our windows can be very hard to see through. Make sure your battery is in good condition. Many auto parts stores will check them for for free. Don’t skimp on this important component.

before driving. This is mostly important to other drivers. Snow flying off of our cars can cause visibility issues to other drivers. But, this snow can cause us problems as well. Make sure you clean the snow away from your lights. Don’t block your headlights, tail lights or any of your warning lights.

None of this advice will help you if you do not drive safely. Make sure you have plenty of time to drive safely to your destination during inclement weather. In fact, don’t drive if you don’t have to. Tennessee snow storms, while they do exist, rarely last very long. Any time you can give the highway crews to clear the roads, and for the roads to melt on their own, will help you the most. If you do have to go, maybe you are on one of those highway crews, keep a safe following distance. Keep your speed down too. Plan ahead to make a safe stop. Sudden stops and turns can cause dangerous skidding.

Please remember to buckle up. Don’t drive distracted or drowsy. And certainly do not drive impaired.

Back-Contents-Forward