With the winter season increasing in severity and residents across several parts
of New York already dealing with snowstorms, this is a good time to look into how to drive safely in snow or ice. This kind of weather can be treacherous for drivers and car accidents are often caused by it. Whether you are getting ready to take a road trip for a family get together during Thanksgiving weekend or driving to the neighborhood supermarket, it is important to take the necessary precautions and make sure you and your passengers are safe.
Here are six tips to help you drive safely this winter.
1. Make your plans ahead of time. This is a good idea in general before you take any road trip. Check your route to make sure you are prepared for the drive. If you are familiar with your drive, you can use that knowledge to your advantage as well. For example, if you know that a certain roadway tends to get more snow or greater ice accumulation, you can plan out an alternate route to ensure your drive is smoother.
2. Drive smoothly. One of the keys to driving in the snow is to be smooth with the steering wheel, gas pedal and brakes. This is because any sudden movements with the controls can unstick or unsettle the already tentative grip that a vehicle’s tires have on slick roadways. So, every turn of the steering wheel, push of the brakes and movement of the accelerator should be deliberate, gradual and gentle.
3. Look far ahead. The more slippery the roadway gets, it is all the more important to look farther down the road and anticipate what you’ll need to do next. Slow down when you make turns. Allow twice the stopping distance or even more when the roadway is icy. Driving carefully takes more concentration. So, make sure you are not distracted by anything.
4. Know how to handle skidding. If you feel your car beginning to skid, always look where you want to go, not where the vehicle is heading at that moment. Do not panic and hit the brakes. For a front-wheel skid, ease off the gas. That will allow the front tires to regain traction. For a rear-wheel skid, quickly turn the steering wheel in the same direction of the slide. Ease off the accelerator and stay off the brakes. As the wheels regain traction, steer your vehicle back into the desired direction.
5. Use your anti-lock brakes. If everything else fails and you need to stop your vehicle as soon as possible in snow or on ice, you need to engage the car’s anti-lock-brake system or ABS. All newer vehicles today are equipped with anti-lock brakes, which use an onboard computer to optimize the vehicle’s braking conditions. If your car is skidding out of control, push the brake pedal hard without letting up. The computer will do the rest, keeping each wheel braking as aggressively as possible based on the traction available.
6. Make sure you have winter tires. This is key to your survival in the winter. Fitting a set of four winter tires or snow tires is the best thing you can do to improve your safety margin and reduce your anxiety level on snow-covered roads. Winter tires provide much more traction in snow, slush and ice than the best set of all-season tires.
Contacting an Experienced Lawyer
If you or a loved one has been injured in a car accident, or if you have lost a loved one in a motor vehicle accident caused by a negligent or careless driver, the experienced New York personal injury attorneys at the Law Offices of Kenneth A. Wilhelm can help you better understand your legal rights and options, and also fight hard to recover just compensation for you.
For over 51 years, our skilled attorneys have established a proven track record of helping injured victims. Our law firm recently recovered $5,600,000 for a bicyclist who was hit by a van, and $2,550,000 for another victim of a truck accident, and $3,000,000 for a pedestrian who was hit by a car, and $2,000,000 in a hit-and-run accident, and the full $1,000,000 insurance policy for a pedestrian who was hit by a truck, and $4,625,000 for a driver who was in a car and was hit by a van, and $2,500,000 for a man who fell through an improperly secured hole. Also, one of our clients obtained a verdict for $43,940,000 and another of our clients got a verdict for $23,500,000, both in medical malpractice cases.
Please contact us TOLL FREE 24 hours a day, 7 days a week at 1-800-WORK-4-YOU (1-800-967-5496). WE CAN EVEN COME TO YOU. There is no attorneys’ fee unless we recover money for you. We can also help with personal injury, lead poisoning and medical malpractice cases in New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, Pennsylvania, or Florida. If you have been seriously injured in any of the 50 U.S. states, please call us and we will try to help you with your case.
Other TOLL FREE phone numbers for us are:
1-800-RADIO-LAW, 1-888-WYPADEK, OR 1-800-LAS-LEYES
Please visit us at: www.WORK4YOULAW.com