Prepare for Your Winter Drive: 10 Tips

The holiday season is over, but cabin fever may still send you over snowy hill and dale to visit friends and relatives. Of course you’ll drive carefully – accelerating slowly, braking lightly and tripling the usual distance between you and the car ahead.

But before you hit the road, be sure you’ve prepared your car for winter conditions. And get yourself ready for a chilly wait if your car breaks down or you skid into a ditch. Here are 10 things you can do to keep you and your family safer during winter travels by car.

1. Pack an emergency kit. Communications and survival are your priorities. Pack your cell phone, flashlight, batteries and a radio to keep yourself updated on weather conditions. Toss in a heavy blanket or sleeping bag, extra clothing, bottled water and high-energy foods like peanut butter or chocolate bars. Make sure you have flares or reflective triangles, jumper cables, a jack, a tire pump and a good spare tire. Sand, cat litter or a mat can provide extra traction if you become stuck. You’ll also want maps of the area and a compass if you get lost. And always – always – include a first-aid kit.

2. Call ahead. Let people know when you’re traveling, the route you intend to take and when you should arrive. If something happens, the faster the search begins, the better your chances.

3. Check the weather. Know what you might encounter en route. And if the authorities caution against travel, heed their advice.

4. Clean your headlights. Accumulated ice and snow can cut their effectiveness. And remember to turn them on in bad conditions, even during the daytime. If you need your wipers, you definitely need your lights.

5. Check tire inflation. Your ability to control your vehicle depends on your contact with the ground, and tire pressure plays a big role in that. Not enough pressure is as bad as too much pressure. Check your owner’s manual or refer to the sticker on the back of your driver’s door.

6. Check belts and hoses. Chilly rubber is less flexible and more likely to fail. And that can translate to a long wait without a running engine – and without a heater.

7. Inspect wipers and top off wiper fluid. No matter what the weather, you can’t avoid what you can’t see. But in whiteout conditions and on slick roadways, the increased visibility will give you the time you need to react more deliberately to anything that develops ahead of you.

8. Keep your tank at least half full. This is a general rule to prevent fuel-line freeze-up. But it’s not bad idea to top off your tank just in case you take a detour – or end up off the road and need to run your engine periodically to keep warm.

9. Check your exhaust for blockages. Snow and ice can block your tailpipe. Not only can that stall your engine, but it can also cause deadly carbon monoxide to build up inside your vehicle.

10. Check your oil and battery. The battery almost goes without saying – but we’ll say it anyway. And your car always needs a good supply of fresh oil. If you haven’t changed it in a while, change it before you head into the blizzard. Use the lightest grade of oil your owner’s manual specifies for winter: Cold, thick oil makes it harder to start your engine before you leave your home or prepare for your return.

Check The Weather Channel before heading out.

Get more driving tips and travel information from AAA.