arrival of the winter season means that it’s the ideal time to take a serious look at your overall driving techniques. Driving your vehicle in the winter season tends to be trickier than any other season, especially with the inclusion of snow, heavy rain & ice.
But, that doesn’t mean that you should be worried. Fret not as we are here to assist you with some good winter driving tips, so that you can ride your vehicle safely & securely. So, without further ado, let’s jump onto the topic right away.
Winter Driving Tips For Riding Safely With Your Car
Checking Your Tyres
According to professional services for cash for old trucks in Adelaide, it’s always a vital procedure to check the tread count on your tyre before the winter season arrives. Having a proper thread count will ensure that your vehicle has enough control on the road. As per reports, your thread count should be at least 3 mm. Furthermore, you also need to check the air pressure of your tyres.
Prepare For Any Long Driving Sessions
There are quite a several things that you should be checking before you head out on a winter trip. Firstly, you have to ensure that your vehicle has enough oil, which includes the engine oil, brake oil and the like. Moreover, your car should have sufficient windscreen washer fluids along with proper coolant to keep the engine working efficiently.
Apart from the above-mentioned aspects, you have to keep a winter safety kit with you, inside your car at all times. The kit should contain an LED torch, a high-visibility vest, a blanket and a shovel.
Clean Your Vehicle Before Moving Out
Before you head out with your car in the winter season, you have to get rid of any ice or snow that has accumulated on the car roof, windows and bonnet. Your vehicle should always be in the best possible condition when you leave your home or office with it.
Don’t Speed Unnecessarily
During the winter months, you have to deal with dense fogs, which can limit your overall visibility when driving. In moments like these, you have to keep the speed of your car within a certain checkpoint. This is because when you’ll drive through foggy roads, you’ll rarely see what’s coming from your opposite side. So, if you speed up your vehicle, you can easily risk yourself a gruesome road accident because your vehicle will become difficult to handle.
So, you have to use your vehicle at respectable speeds – at speeds that you know you’ll be safe and there is enough stopping distance in case of accidental road surprises.
Always Brake In A Straight Line
One of the first things that novice car drivers begin to learn is to always brake in a straight line with their vehicles. When a vehicle starts to turn, the car’s centrifugal force coerces to pull the vehicle outwards. That’s the reason why sudden braking can cause a vehicle to spin, especially when the roads are covered with ice & snow in the winter season. Therefore, it’s always a safer choice to brake in a straight line before making any sharp turns.
Create Enough Momentum When Climbing Hills
If you’re a car owner, then you already might know how difficult it is to deal with hilly areas, especially in the winter season. Most drivers fail to force their cars up to the top of a hill. But, the key thing that you must remember is that – without proper momentum, it becomes too difficult to reach higher altitudes.
The reverse should be done when driving down a hill, which is to keep your vehicle at slower speeds. Increasing speed while going down a hill can make you lose control of your car.
Consider Opting For Winter Tyres
In case you live in a place where the winter season tends to be the harshest, then we suggest you seriously consider opting for winter tyres. Winter tyres are specifically made to be used on snowy & icy roads, and they remain flexible even in cold conditions (compared to standard tyres which become inflexible & stiff when the temperature drops below 7 degrees Celsius).
Lastly, be sure to use proper lights when making turns and use your car headlights effectively.