Winter Safety
Old Man Winter is here, and it’s no secret that’s he about to start making roads more treacherous, and black ice more surprising. Couple the nasty weather with a busy holiday season and you’ve got a recipe for auto accidents waiting to happen. Not to worry though, there have been some excellent improvements in safety features in automobiles, and not only that, but we have a couple of great tips and tricks and gadgets to hopefully ensure you don’t have to see your auto mechanic this winter.
There’s nothing worse than getting up in the morning, looking outside and realizing you have to grab for that snow brush. However somber it may be, it’s one of the best pre-emptive measures you can take to make driving safer and make sure you don’t have to call up your friendly automotive technician to fix a busted wheel well. Good visibility is essential to safe driving, and with the developments in winter car brushes, you can now grab ones with swiveling heads and telescopic arms, meaning that all the groaning and stretching is a thing of the past. The telescopic handle ensures that you’ll clean off the entire roof of the vehicle, meaning that the snow won’t fall down and blind you on those long highway drives.
On a related note, keeping your windshield wipers in proper working condition, and making sure that you have the best winter blades, along with the necessary winter fluid for them can keep you out of a bad mess on the road. Like all people in automotive careers will tell you: visibility is key, and if your wipers are shoddy, that impairs your ability to see, and makes you a danger to yourself and everyone else on the road.
If you get stuck on the road, it’s nice to have some traction aids in your trunk, so you can gain back a little bit of control. There are many varieties of traction aids, from pads to strips to just plain old kitty little that well help you get a leg-up on Jack Frost. It’s also essential to keep a cellphone in the vehicle at all times, you never know when you’ll be stranded or stuck and need to call someone to come tow you out!
If you have a new vehicle, you’ll want to see if it’s equipped with Electronic Stability Control (ESC). This recent technology assists drivers in avoiding bad crashes or collisions. ESC sensors analyze the direction of the steering wheel in tandem with the direction the vehicle is travelling. If they differ or the vehicle begins to slide or skid out, the system will apply the brakes to the wheels, or limit engine power as a means to help keep control of the vehicle.
Above all, the most important thing is to drive cautiously and sensibly and use your head. Vigilance and careful driving are worth more than all of the gadgets in the world.
