Don’t Forget to Drive Safely in the Snow and on the Ice

On Behalf of | Jan 24, 2018 | Car Accidents

Driving on the snow and ice is much different from driving on dry pavement. Because of the dangers of driving in these conditions, you need to make sure that you are taking precautions that will help you and everyone else around you to return home safely at the end of the day. While you can be as safe as possible on your end, you also count on everyone else to be just as safe.

Before you leave home or wherever you are, you need to clear your vehicle. Snow and ice on the top of the vehicle, the windshield, the windows or the lights can make it unsafe to drive. With this in mind, you need to make sure that you remove all of this from your vehicle. Don’t forget to clear the license plate off when you are taking care of the rest of the vehicle. This might help you to avoid getting a ticket.

As you are driving, remember that it takes longer to stop on snow and ice. You need to give yourself extra distance and you must give other drivers enough distance to stop. Make sure that you aren’t cutting these distances too close, especially at stop lights and intersections.

If something happens and you start to skid, steer into the skid. You must take your foot off the gas to let the car slow down. Don’t try to slam on the brakes or steer out of the skid because doing either of those can result in problems and might prevent you from regaining control of the vehicle.

Accidents might happen because of the weather. In these cases, make sure that you contact the police and get medical care if you need it. This might help you if you opt to seek compensation.

Source: USA Today, “How to drive safely in snow and ice. Hint: Steer into the skid,” Lori Grisham and Jerry Mosemak, accessed Jan. 19, 2018

Attorney Chadwick P. McGrady at his desk