Most Dangerous Winter Driving Errors To Avoid In The Southern Tier

Winter arrives Tuesday, December 21st, but as we in the Northeast all know, it begins once the temperatures drop below 40 and the snow begins to fly.

Getting Ready For Winter

Bring our your winter coats, boots, hats, gloves, scarves, and of course the snow shovels, snowblowers, roof rakes, winter tires, some sort of weight added to the trunk of the car for traction in snow, plus all the things you may need should you be stranded somewhere to stay safe.

It's all a part of winter preparation in our part of the country. It's also when we curse those in the south and southwestern portions of the USA who don't have to deal with our type of winter.

Winter Driving Tips & Advice

Aside from the things I've mentioned so far to be ready for winter, it's also a good thing to be prepared for winter driving now through March. It seemed with the first few significant snowfalls, some of us have forgotten that you can't just drive normally as you would on a dry road during a sunny day.

Probably most if not all of us have at one time or another hit our brakes on a snowy or icy road, only to discover that we are no longer in control of our vehicle. Ice, or Black Ice which is hard to see, can be very dangerous to navigate.

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The Icy Road Safety website suggests three things if you start to slide on ice or snow: don't hit your brakes, turn into the slide and don't panic or overcorrect. During snowy and icy conditions, please slow down.

You may still run into a situation, but probably the outcome won't be as bad if you adjust your speed. Not only for your safety but the safety of those in your vehicle and the motorists around you.

Beware of Snow Covered or Icy On & Off-Ramps

Also, remember that even though the major roadways may be cleared of most snow and ice, the on and off-ramps might not be, so be careful when entering or exiting either during a snow or ice event.

And AAA suggests that you know your brakes and how to use them properly while driving during bad weather conditions, accelerate and decelerate slowly plus increase your following distance five to six seconds to help avoid a collision should you have trouble stopping.

Happy winter driving! It's going to be a long season. Hopefully, it will not be as bad as the winter of 2020/2021.

via Ice Road Safety, AAA