TIPS FOR NAVIGATING HAZARDOUS WINTER ROADS
February 6, 2019
Isn’t it funny how whenever the forecast calls for snow, whether it’s a light flurry or a big blizzard, you still find ravaged bread shelves and milk coolers when you hit the grocery store?
Snow panic is something you can set your watch to. You can mark it on your calendar. It’s a rite of winter, right alongside Super Bowl parties and getting your taxes done.
Here at Rob’s Automotive & Collision Center, your local car collision experts in Bucks County, PA, we see the effects of snow panic all the time. We see it in the form of dents, scratches, gaping holes – in other words, a whole lot of damage to cars and a whole lot of hassle for car owners.
The roads can be treacherous in wintertime due to factors beyond a driver’s control. Yes, there’s snow, but there are also frigid temperatures, heavy winds, freezing rain, black ice, potholes and other drivers who are traveling too fast – or too slow – for conditions.
What’s worse: Other drivers who haven’t cleaned their cars off completely, posing a threat to others because they A) can’t see the whole road through their windshields, and B) can send random icy projectiles off their car roof into other cars’ windshields. We won’t even get started on drivers without insurance.
Our simple tips for navigating the treacheries of winter roads will prevent you from becoming one of those people.
- Don’t panic! There’s no reason to be overly stressed out about driving in snow or ice. Stress will cause problems; it doesn’t solve them. You can handle this – if you follow our tips, of course.
- Leave extra time in the morning, or when leaving work, so you can give your car a thorough cleaning before you take to the road. This isn’t just for when it has snowed. Windshields get frosty, too, and there’s no bigger hazard than sunlight reflecting off the ice. You definitely don’t want your “blind spot” to be right in front of your face. And don’t forget to clean off your mirrors too!
- Get yourself a good snow brush with a strong ice scraper. See above. This will save you time and make sure the job is done right.
- Drive slowly and don’t tailgate — another reason to give yourself extra time to make it to your destination. You’ll need more time and space to slow down, so don’t drive too close to the car in front of you. And when that time comes, don’t slam on the brakes. Instead, pump them slowly and lightly.
- Keep your tires inflated and your gas tank full. No brainer, right? You don’t want to get stranded somewhere out in the cold.
- Stay off your phone! Seriously, we can never say this enough, no matter what season it is. There’s so much you need to pay attention to while driving in the winter – potholes, icy patches, the driver in front of you, the overall conditions that determine your speed. There are probably more things to list, but that’s plenty to trump looking at Twitter or sending text messages.
If you’re ever in a situation where you’ve done all of the above, but you still get in an annoying winter fender bender, you can always bring your rig to Rob’s for collision repair near Newtown, PA. That’s one excellent tip that we hope you won’t need.