Winter Driving

Occasional snowflakes and ice crusts in the morning give us every indication that winter is coming soon and bringing new subjects to discuss. The very first snowfalls can become quite a surprise for an unprepared driver and even stop the traffic in densely populated cities throughout all the country. In late autumn it usually snows in the daytime, it freezes at night and as a result roadways get slippery with ice. This way the number of car accidents grows as it gets colder and colder. As a rule minor accidents take place twice as often in winter. More attention should be paid to safety on municipal roads when drivers face such factors as snow, ice, sleet, mud and even dense fog. Of course the most dangerous time of the day is the rush-hours when everyone is trying to sneak in and out, which is not quite an option on a slippery road. It becomes much easier to get into trouble when wheels don’t have enough friction to stop the car. However the major challenge in freezing weather is to go out of town. Snowdrifts block even wide highways and countryside driving might be the last thing you want to do. It gets even worse when the roads turn wet and slushy over the thawing period.

Winter is a hazardous season for most Northern states such as Maryland, Maine, Montana, Colorado, Minnesota, N. Dakota, Idaho, Wyoming, and Michigan. Southern states are less affected by winter weather; however rare snowfalls provoke more anxiety than in the states that are more prepared for that. Statistical data of 2007-2008 shows that the number of car accidents in the U.S. increased by approximately 46% starting from the middle of October till the end of April, which means there were a large number more car accidents during the cold months.

Here are some useful tips for safe and pleasant winter driving. It is important to drive slowly and choose the right speed which will let you control the situation. It becomes much harder to drive a car at the speed of 35 mph on an icy road. Use special tires or tire chains to provide more friction for the wheels. You should always be sure the car is tuned and in good order because the possibility of failure of any car parts also increases in bad driving conditions. In case you lose control of the car take your foot off the gas, step on the brake slightly, and turn to the direction that you’re sliding into until you gain control.

However none of the precautions can guarantee safety when there are other car drivers who might be trapped in an unlucky situation by winter roads. In this respect the wisest decision before even starting your car would be to make sure you’ve got the right car insurance. Auto insurance is an essential element which helps prevent car owners from excessive expenses connected with icy conditions of roads. Since accidents happen quite often in winter try to get the best deals on car insurance for all the family members who drive a car before the winter comes so that you would not have to overpay later or happen to be underinsured in case of an accident.