5 Defensive Driving Safety Tips for Winter Roads

Studies show that 17% of all vehicle crashes occur during winter conditions on the roads. Have you ever been involved in a winter-related vehicle crash? What steps are you taking to prepare for driving in the winter? How are you practicing defensive driving? Even though you may be a careful driver in the winter, the other drivers on the road may not have prepared the same way. Keep reading to learn more about driving safety tips for winter.

1. Prepare Your Vehicle

You may be thinking that this tip doesn’t have anything to do with driving but it’s actually one of the most important things you can do before you leave the driveway. Driving in the winter on an icy road would be a bad time to find out that your brakes are going bad or that you have a brake light out. Checking that your fluids are topped off and your wipers are working properly can be important for your visibility when driving in inclement weather. Sometimes the salt and slush from the road can be more of an issue for your windshield than the road conditions.

2. Adjust Your Speed as Necessary

You may not be able to maintain the speed limit when your visibility is less than twenty feet in front of you. Adjusting your speed as the conditions change is an important driving tip in the winter. Black ice can be a dangerous hazard and slowing down in any icy areas will help you maintain better control of your vehicle. Hitting black ice at 20mph versus 60mph can be a very different outcome. Practicing accelerating and decelerating slowly is key when driving in the winter.

3. Give Others Space

This tip is a great example of defensive driving. By giving others additional space, you can prevent a rear-end collision from happening or at least make it less damaging. The bigger space will allow you to have more time to react if they brake suddenly or begin to slide on black ice.

4. Plan Ahead

Is your vehicle parked outside? Do you need to clear off the ice and snow before your drive? What are the road conditions like? Every drive is going to take longer in the winter and it is important to plan ahead so that you don’t rush and drive too fast for conditions. Plan extra time into your schedule to allow for the conditions daily.

5. Practice Driving Safety Tips and Save Money

Yes, this is a tip. Practicing the driving safety tips mentioned will help increase your chances of staying on the road and out of the ditch this winter. You can save money by not putting yourself in situations that you would be the at-fault driver in. Getting a dash cam can help you prove to your insurance company that you were practicing careful driving. Some insurance companies will even offer a discount for vehicles with dashcam tracking systems.

Driving Safety Tips for Winter: Get Prepared Today

Now that you have read about driving safety tips for winter, you can start preparing today. Contact us to discuss the dashcam options for your situation and we will be happy to assist you. Check out testimonials from our previous clients on our website to get a better idea of what working with us will be like.