Slow In Snow? Winter Precautions To Take For Your Car
Posted on: 27 January 2017
Whether the first flakes of the season have started to fall or you're shoveling your car out of 2-foot drifts for the third time this week, wintertime (and the adverse weather conditions that come with it) is here to stay. But your car can have problems in winter, especially if you commute long distances or are constantly out and about. So if you're looking for a few wintertime precautions to take for your car, then here's what you need to know.
Check Your Drive
Many cars nowadays come with four-wheel drive (or can be upgraded accordingly), but for those of you with rear-wheel drive, you're probably going to want to pay attention. While rear-wheel drive is great most of the year, it can become a problem if you live in an area that gets even a moderate amount of snow. If you get stuck in a snow bank, that rear-wheel drive can cause your car to swing wildly (as all the weight is in the front), which is dangerous for yourself and for others on the road next to you. To solve this problem, put a heavy weight in the trunk of your car. This weight will give you the force you need to be able to drive out of snow drifts safely and effectively.
Treat Your Windows
Windshield wiper fluid is one of those car necessities that you don't prize until it's gone – but in wintertime, taking care of that fluid is even more important than at any other time of the year. To clear off winter debris from your car's windshield, you may be tempted to spray your wiper fluid – but that just as often freezes and obscures your vision as it does help it. When getting your car ready for the wintertime, invest in winter windshield wiper fluid, which has a bigger ratio of alcohol to water, making it much less likely to freeze and more likely to help your visibility on snowy roads.
Winter Care Bag
Of course, even the most winter-prepared car can run into trouble, whether due to inclement conditions or the mistakes of other drivers around you. As such, it's important to keep a winter care bag in your car from November through March (or longer if your climate demands it) to make sure that any car trouble you have doesn't have an adverse effect on your health. In this bag should be a fully charged portable charger for your phone (or an extra, cheap phone if you prefer) so you can call 911 if needed, enough blankets to outfit everyone in your car, a super-warm change of clothes for you and any people who frequent your car daily, water bottles, protein-rich snacks (like beef jerky, peanut butter, or nuts), and a road flare or flashing light to get the attention of another car, if need be.
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