How to Stay Safe On the Roads During Winter

Car and truck accidents often increase during the winter season. When it gets cold out, the roads can become more dangerous. Winter weather can include heavy downpours, thunderstorms, sleet and even blizzard conditions. When winter storms strike, roads become icy, slippery and hard to navigate.

These winter conditions are dangerous for drivers so it is important to stay alert when driving in wintry conditions. Often, people do not know how to drive in slippery conditions and can cause a car or truck accident. Even though we don’t get tons of snow in Kingsport, Johnson City, or Bristol like they do up in the northern states, the roads can still be dangerous sometimes and people are unfortunately injured or even killed in winter-related car and truck accidents.

How to Drive Safely During the Winter Months

Winter driving can be dangerous due to winter weather conditions. Driving in winter weather should be approached just as driving in any other type of difficult driving environment. Here are some winter driving tips that will help you stay safe on winter roads this winter season:

● Winterize Your Car: Get your vehicle checked by a mechanic before winter arrives! Check for proper tread on winter tires, fluid levels and belts/hoses. Make sure your windshield wipers work properly and have the washer nozzles cleaned out so they don’t freeze up during bad weather or spring snowstorms. If you have antilock brakes, make sure the system is operational. Have the battery tested too because it could die if left unused over the winter months. Low air pressure in your tires is dangerous. Make sure the pressure is at the proper winter standard.

● Slow Down: Slow down while driving in winter weather. Most winter accidents are caused by someone driving too fast. Either another driver is driving too fast and loses control of their vehicle, striking your car, or you’re driving too fast for the road conditions and can’t stop in time when faced with a sudden emergency. Adjust your driving for winter conditions by slowing down.

● Build a Winter Car Kit: You should create a winter car kit and leave it in your truck for emergencies. Your winter car kit should include jumper cables, ice scraper, winter windshield wiper fluid, flashlight with fresh batteries, blanket and a bag of sand or salt in case you get stuck. Also bring along an extra winter coat, gloves, boots and socks to change into.

● Watch Out for Black Ice: Black ice is extremely dangerous and even a small patch can easily send a vehicle sliding and skidding off the road. And it’s very hard to see because it looks just like any other wintery road but can cause you to lose control if you hit it even at slow speeds. When it snows or rains hard before or after a snowstorm, grime from city streets washes onto the roads and can make them very slippery, especially when the temperatures drop at night.

The law office of Robert Bates & Associates represents seriously injured people in and around the Tri Cities region of Tennessee. We have been successfully representing car and truck crash victims for over a decade. Contact us for a free consultation.

Robert BatesRobert is a Kingsport trial lawyer who handles car, truck and motorcycle wreck cases across the Tri-Cities. Every client gets his cell number.