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Tips to Avoid Accidents While Driving a Car in the Winter

by Jason Khattar Khattar Law, P.C.
As the cold bite of winter is felt by everyone, it is important to take precautionary measures to safeguard ourselves and our loved ones. Car accidents can happen at any time of year, but the rate of accidents will increase during the winter season. 

You can avoid adding to that number by following traffic rules and taking appropriate safety precautions to avoid a mishap. 

According to the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Federal Highway Administration, as many as 116,000 people are injured by a winter weather-related crash, and around 1,300 people will die because of icy, snowy, or slushy roads. 

Here are some safety tips to help you to avoid an accident this winter:
 
1. Prepare Your Car For the Winter:

It helps to take safety precautions to prepare your car to operate properly in the cold winter weather.  You can find winter tires in most auto parts stores that will help your car grip to the road when there is ice and snow. It’ll reduce your chances of sliding and losing control during inclement weather.  Braking will be safer because you have a better grip on the road.  In addition, it’s important to keep tires properly inflated. Cold weather can reduce the air pressure in tires.  Improperly inflated tires can negatively impact their ability to grip the road.
 
You can also check your antifreeze level and top it off if necessary.  Antifreeze pumps coolant throughout the engine to maintain an even operating temperature.  Ensuring your antifreeze is at the appropriate level will help to prevent your vehicle from freezing in the cold.

Inspect your car battery regularly. A vehicle engine uses more power to start when temperatures are cold.  Cold temperatures can make it harder for your battery to provide sufficient power to start and run your car.

You should also install new wiper blades for snowy weather. Snow and ice are heavier than rainwater.  There are special winter blades made of heavy duty rubber that are more effective for snow, sleet, and ice. Quality wiper blades are necessary to maintain proper visibility of the road. 

Lastly, you can prepare your vehicle for the winter simply by cleaning it.  Ice can  damage your vehicle and contribute to rust.  It can cause malfunction by ruining the automobile’s parts.

2. Reduce Speed:

Safe speed limits are posted on roads for good reason.  You should try to keep traveling speeds within the posted limits.  This is especially true in the winter and you should try to reduce speed even more if there is ice, sleet, or snow on the road.  The streets are often slippery in the winter, even if you can’t see any ice.  “Black ice” is a term commonly used to refer to a transparent coating of ice along a paved road.  Reducing your speed improves the ability to control the vehicle.  If necessary, leave for your destination earlier so that you arrive in time without having to rush at unsafe speeds.

3. Increase the Distance:

The United States is a highly populated country with hundreds of thousands of vehicles traveling the roads every day.  When the weather is unfavorable, you should increase the distance between yours and other cars. This will help to prevent car collisions and crashes because you will have safer stopping distances and more reaction time should something go awry.  It only takes a single car to stop fast for a series of cars to be rear ended if they had not been traveling at safe distances given the weather.

4. Pay Extra Attention to the Road:

It is essential to remain focused while driving, especially in winter weather.   You should look in the rearview mirror often and take particular notice of your surroundings.  Road conditions vary by day and weather-event. There may be thicker snow one day and more ice on another. It is important to be extra cautious while driving during the winter.

5. Avoid Snowy Weather:

If it’s snowing heavily outside, it’s usually a better idea to avoid driving altogether. Just like all forms of inclement weather, heavy snow is hazardous. Visibility will be limited when it is snowing heavily and you can easily hit an object or another car.  Your car could also get stuck in heavy layers of snow or skid out of control, regardless of how many precautions you take.

If an accident occurs in spite of these precautions, contact an Visit a website to contact auto accident attorney in San Antonio TX from Khattar Law, P.C.. Our professional team of attorneys have extensive experience in dealing with auto accidents.

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About Jason Khattar Junior   Khattar Law, P.C.

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Joined APSense since, January 14th, 2021, From San Antonio, United States.

Created on Feb 5th 2021 09:46. Viewed 488 times.

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