Winter Driving Tips: Staying Safe on the Road
Judy Antell
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Road safety in winter.
Whether winter arrived in your area early, late or just in time (Goldilocks and the three bears anyone?) the snow, ice and freezing rain it often throws at you can challenge even the most experienced driver. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) offers winter driving tips that can literally be life saving.
One thing parents may not think of is balancing the need for warmth against safety restraints. The winter driving tips include the suggestion that instead of thick outerwear that can interfere with the proper harness fit on your child in his/her car seat, you “place blankets around your child after the harness is snug and secure.” I would add to that yo should make sure blankets aren’t caught in car doors – for this reason, we also never had our kids wear scarves in the car.
Make sure to keep cars, like this 2015 Toyota Highlander, fully fueled in winter. Credit: Judy Antell for AGirlsGuidetoCars
Another important tip is to keep your gas tank close to full, even with a hybrid-electric vehicle. The NHTSA says “if you get stuck in a traffic jam or in snow, you might need more fuel than you anticipated to get home or to keep warm.”
If you are stuck in a winter emergency, the NHTSA recommends that “to avoid asphyxiation from carbon monoxide poisoning, don’t run your car for long periods of time with the windows up or in an enclosed space. If you must run your vehicle, clear the exhaust pipe of any snow and run it only sporadically — just long enough to stay warm.”
The NHTSA also prepared a video to help with winter driving tips:
Read the complete winter driving tips here.