The Safety Tip Adviser: Winter Driving Tips

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The Safety Tip Adviser: Winter Driving Tips

Posted On : Feb-22-2011 | seen (435) times | Article Word Count : 568 |

Winter brings snow, sleet and ice that leads to slower traffic, hazardous road conditions, unforeseen dangers and hot tempers. Since we can’t avoid the winter, it’s better to learn how to correctly drive during these conditions.

Winter Driving Tips
Greetings and salutations to the trucking industry. My name is Alvis Violo and I will be writing a monthly column on how to keep our ourselves and our drivers safe on the road. My entire background is associated with the trucking industry having owned and operated a truck and trailer repair facility for over twenty years and most recently having founded a coast to coast national roadside assistance company dedicated to the trucking industry in Canada called Emergency Road Services of Canada Inc. My goal is not only to educate new drivers but also to refresh the memories of the seasoned drivers who keep our industry moving.
Although there are many winter safety tips, I have chosen ‘How to drive in winter conditions’ for my first edition. Winter brings snow, sleet and ice that leads to slower traffic, hazardous road conditions, unforeseen dangers and hot tempers. Since we can’t avoid the winter, it’s better to learn how to correctly drive during these conditions. Here are a few tips to help you avoid slipping and sliding this winter.

Listen to the weather report every night. If snow is predicted for the next morning, you should plan to get an earlier start to your day as you can be sure of traffic jams and other delays. Giving yourself a little more time allows you to drive slower which is the key to safe driving on slippery roads.
Make sure you can see by making sure all your windows are completely clear of snow and ice. You should also replace bad windshield wiper blades and clean the inside of your windows thoroughly. Your windshield washer system should also be working properly and should always be full of anti-icing fluid.
Check your lights before driving. Make sure your head lights and tail lights are clear of snow and grime. Grime or snow on head light lenses can reduce a head lights effectiveness by as much as ninety percent.
Check your tires for air, sidewall wear and tread depth. The amount of traction that exists between the roadway surface and your tires will determine how well your vehicle accelerates, turns and stops. Make sure the tire valves are equipped with caps to keep snow and ice out.
Drive slowly and pay attention. Driving too quickly is the number one cause of winter accidents. Be sure to drive slowly and carefully on snowy and icy roads as they are much less forgiving than dry pavement. Maneuvers are also more difficult to make on snowy and icy roads so be sure to anticipate what your next move is going to be in order to give yourself lots of room for turns and stopping.
Do not tailgate. It takes much longer to stop on snowy and icy roads than it does on dry pavement. Make sure you leave a lot of room between you and the vehicle in front of you. A good rule of thumb to follow is to leave four vehicle lengths between you and the vehicle in front of you for every 16 km/hr you are driving.

Although there are many more winter driving tips, following the simple tips above will hopefully aid you in becoming a safer and more efficient driver despite winter’s adverse weather conditions.

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<h1>The Safety Tip Adviser: Winter Driving Tips</h1> Author: <a href='http://www.articleseen.com/profile_Alvis Violo.aspx'>Alvis Violo</a> <H1>Winter Driving Tips</H1>
Greetings and salutations to the trucking industry. My name is Alvis Violo and I will be writing a monthly column on how to keep our ourselves and our drivers safe on the road. My entire background is associated with the trucking industry having owned and operated a truck and trailer repair facility for over twenty years and most recently having founded a coast to coast national roadside assistance company dedicated to the trucking industry in Canada called Emergency Road Services of Canada Inc. My goal is not only to educate new drivers but also to refresh the memories of the seasoned drivers who keep our industry moving.
Although there are many winter safety tips, I have chosen ‘How to drive in winter conditions’ for my first edition. Winter brings snow, sleet and ice that leads to slower traffic, hazardous road conditions, unforeseen dangers and hot tempers. Since we can’t avoid the winter, it’s better to learn how to correctly drive during these conditions. Here are a few tips to help you avoid slipping and sliding this winter.
<ul>
<li type = "1">Listen to the weather report every night. If snow is predicted for the next morning, you should plan to get an earlier start to your day as you can be sure of traffic jams and other delays. Giving yourself a little more time allows you to drive slower which is the key to safe driving on slippery roads.</li>
<li type = "1">Make sure you can see by making sure all your windows are completely clear of snow and ice. You should also replace bad windshield wiper blades and clean the inside of your windows thoroughly. Your windshield washer system should also be working properly and should always be full of anti-icing fluid.</li>
<li type = "1">Check your lights before driving. Make sure your head lights and tail lights are clear of snow and grime. Grime or snow on head light lenses can reduce a head lights effectiveness by as much as ninety percent. </li>
<li type = "1">Check your tires for air, sidewall wear and tread depth. The amount of traction that exists between the roadway surface and your tires will determine how well your vehicle accelerates, turns and stops. Make sure the tire valves are equipped with caps to keep snow and ice out.</li>
<li type = "1">Drive slowly and pay attention. Driving too quickly is the number one cause of winter accidents. Be sure to drive slowly and carefully on snowy and icy roads as they are much less forgiving than dry pavement. Maneuvers are also more difficult to make on snowy and icy roads so be sure to anticipate what your next move is going to be in order to give yourself lots of room for turns and stopping.</li>
<li type = "1">Do not tailgate. It takes much longer to stop on snowy and icy roads than it does on dry pavement. Make sure you leave a lot of room between you and the vehicle in front of you. A good rule of thumb to follow is to leave four vehicle lengths between you and the vehicle in front of you for every 16 km/hr you are driving.</li>
</ul>
Although there are many more winter driving tips, following the simple tips above will hopefully aid you in becoming a safer and more efficient driver despite winter’s adverse weather conditions. 
About the Author: Alvis Violo is the C.E.O. of Emergency Road Services Corporation, a coast to coast international roadside assistance company dedicated to the trucking industry in Canada and the US. For more information visit www.emergencyroadservices.com or call 1-877-377-2262. Please send your questions, feedback or comments about this column to alvis@emergencyroadservices.com. <a href = "http://emergencyroadservices.com/services.html">E.R.S. Corp.’s</a> services are provided to its customers. Article Source: <a href='http://www.articleseen.com/Article_The-Safety-Tip-Adviser-Winter-Driving-Tips_51028.aspx'> http://www.articleseen.com/Article_The Safety Tip Adviser: Winter Driving Tips_51028.aspx</a>

Article Source : http://www.articleseen.com/Article_The Safety Tip Adviser: Winter Driving Tips_51028.aspx

Author Resource :
Alvis Violo is the C.E.O. of Emergency Road Services Corporation, a coast to coast international roadside assistance company dedicated to the trucking industry in Canada and the US. For more information visit www.emergencyroadservices.com or call 1-877-377-2262. Please send your questions, feedback or comments about this column to alvis@emergencyroadservices.com. E.R.S. Corp.’s services are provided to its customers.

Keywords : truck, vehicles, roadside emergency kits, driving tips, mobile reefer repairs, canada, united states, america, us, ca,

Category : Business : Business

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