Winter driving helpful tips

It is no surprise at this point- winter has arrived on area roads. For those that are new to driving on winter roads we would like to offer some pointers to make your travels safer, for you and the other drivers that share the road with you.

The main takeaway for snow and ice covered roads is very simple: slow down, keep more distance between you and the vehicle in front of you, allow more distance for stopping and have proper tires on your vehicle.

Below are some safety tips and information gathered from different sources online and experience.

_Drive slowly- Adjust your speed down to account for lower traction when driving on ice or snow.

_Accelerate and decelerate slowly- apply gas slowly to avoid breaking traction, and take time to

slow down for a stop sign, oftentimes the roadway is slicker near the intersections.

_Don’t crowd a snow plow or travel beside the truck. Snow plows travel slowly. Make wide turns,

stop often and overlap lanes. If you find yourself behind a snow plow stay far enough behind it

and use caution if you pass the plow.

_You can quickly go through a lot of windshield wiper fluid in a single snowstorm. Make sure

your vehicle’s reservoir is full of “winter” fluid with de-icer, consider having an extra gallon in

your vehicle. Consider installing heavy duty winter windshield wipers.

_Make sure that you have good winter tires on, talk to one of the tire shops if you have

questions. All season tires are really considered more of a 3-season tire, a winter tire is more

than just the traction, but the rubber compound is designed to function better in cold

conditions. Some tests have shown that a winter tire can improve stopping distance by up to

30% over other tires on cold roads.

_Keep your fuel tank always above half a tank.

_Never warm up a vehicle in an enclosed area, such as a garage, and never warm your vehicle up leaving it unlocked- or you may find your vehicle stolen.

_Make sure your vehicle is warmed up and the windows cleared before driving.

_Do not use cruise control when driving on any slippery surface, such as on ice and snow.

_If your vehicle shows you the outside temperature, do not rely on it for determining if there is

black ice on the road (the road may appear wet-but is a sheet of ice). The road surface may be

frozen even though the outside temperature reading in your vehicle shows above freezing.

_Be aware that bridges and overpasses freeze and become slick before other road surfaces.

_Always wear your seat belts, and keep your phone on your person. We have responded to

several roll over accidents where the drivers phone was thrown out of the vehicle or they were

unable to find in the vehicle after an accident.

The Boundary County Sheriff’s Office also has text 911. Some areas of our county you may not be able to get a cell phone call out, but you may be able to get a text message out. In an emergency if you text 911 it will come in to our Dispatch center. There are still some parts of our county where text or calls from a cell phone may not get out, but text messages are an option to try if the cell call does not get out.

Some things to consider having in your vehicle at all times during the winter driving season

_A snow shovel, broom and ice scraper- remove all the snow from your roof, headlight and

taillights before driving. You don’t want a foot of snow that was on your roof sliding off and

blinding the person that was following you.

_Have some sand or kitty litter in your vehicle in case your vehicle gets stuck, both will help

provide traction on ice. Place the sand or kitty litter under the drive wheels, straighten the

wheels and accelerate slowly, do not spin the tires because you likely will did deeper into the

snow making it more difficult to move on.

_Jumper cables, flashlight and emergency markers.

_Blankets to help keep you warm in case you slide off the road, it may be awhile before help

arrives. Water, energy bars, and any necessary medication.

_If the weather looks really bad, or the weather forecast is showing a storm coming in, consider if you really need to make that trip now, or can it be done the next day. If you don’t have to drive in a storm, stay home and enjoy another cup of hot chocolate or coffee and make the trip at a time when the roads are better.

Another reason for driving slower in the winter is to allow more reaction and stopping time should a deer or moose step out into the roadway in front of your vehicle.

There are some good online videos on how to control your vehicle when it starts to skid on icy roads and we would recommend watching some of these videos so that you will be better prepared when it happens to you.

Stay safe and drive carefully, we hope these pointers help keep you on the road this winter.

Dave Kramer is the Boundary County Sheriff.