Prepare Your Car for the Cold Weather Season

It’s starting to get cold in Washington State. The roads start to ice up. The snow starts to fall. The temperatures start to drop. Dangerous weather conditions cause car accidents and truck accidents because many drivers don’t take precautions before they even get in their cars. Many drivers don’t understand how to drive when weather conditions are severe. Due to the lack of safety precautions, car accidents are all too common during the winter.

One of the best things you can do is make sure your car is in its best possible shape as we enter the winter months. Allstate Insurance recommends that car owners use the following precautions:

• Give your car a tune-up. You do not want to be stuck on the road in sub-freezing temperatures waiting for help to arrive. Your car needs to be ready for the trip you’re making. Some tips you may be able to follow through with on your own. Other tips require the work of an experienced car mechanic. Maintenance checks include:
  • Checking the wiper fluid level. You should have a full level during the coldest month to help keep your windshield clear of snow. In very cold climates, a deicer or windshield wiper fluid concentrate should be used
  • Consider using a winter-grade oil. The weather does affect the oil viscosity level. Thicker oils are generally better in warm weather while thinner oils work better in the winter. Your car mechanic should be able to recommend the best oil for your car in the cold weather season.
  • Other checks. Check your other fluid, make sure your battery is fully charged, and check that all your hoses are in good order.
• Check the tires on your car. Tires lose pressure in cold weather – about one pound for every 10 degrees. Tires with low pressure are harder to control. Low-pressure tires cause many car accidents. If there is a lot of snow where you live, and there normally is a lot in Vancouver and Battle Ground, you should consider using snow tires. Snow tires have treads designed for handling ice and snow.
• Examine the exterior of your car. The headlights and turn signals should be in working order. Replace any bulbs that are burned out. Clean the lenses. Consider new windshield wipers if they’re old or worn out. You may want to consider some cooking spray to prevent car doors from freezing.
• Have a winter emergency kit. The kits should include boots, gloves, and other warm items for you. The kit should also include, shovels, ice scrapers, and sand or kitty litter to gain traction. You should also have jumper cables, a flashlight, hazard lights, and many other items. AAA recommends also keeping warm clothing, food, water, blankets, and medication.

Your car should have at least half a tank of gas. A full tank is preferable. Make sure you do not warm up your car in an enclosed area like a garage because you might inhale carbon monoxide, which can deadly.

Suggestions for driving in the ice and snowy conditions

Some tips for driving in the snow, according to AAA, are:

• Don’t use cruise control if you’re driving on ice or snow.
• Consider staying home if the weather is really bad.
• Go slowly. Traction is harder when it’s icy or snowy. The faster you drive, the less traction you have.
• Understand how to accelerate and decelerate. To avoid skidding, you should apply the gas slowly and apply the brakes slowly.
• You will need more time to stop on bad roads so don’t drive too close to other cars.
• “Know your brakes. Whether you have antilock brakes or not, keep the heel of your foot on the floor and use the ball of your foot to apply firm, steady pressure on the brake pedal.”
• Try not to stop. It is much harder to start on icy and snow roads. It helps if you slow down as much as possible but keep rolling so you can pick up speed when you need to.
• Learn how to drive on hills. It helps to have some momentum before you start a hill. Applying pressure on the accelerator is likely to make your wheels spin. Be sure to slow down while you’re going down the hill to make sure your wheels have enough traction.
• Check the weather forecast before you get in the car. These days, you should also be able to check traffic conditions. There’s no point in starting your trip if you can’t finish it.
• Let others know your whereabouts in case a storm happens.

If you do get stuck in a snowstorm:

• Stay with your car. Your car should provide short-term shelter. Your car makes it easier for roadside services, the police, and others to find you. Don’t walk away from your car. In heavy snow, if your go too far, you may never find your car again.
• Stay visible. “Tie a brightly colored cloth to the antenna of your vehicle or place a cloth at the top of a rolled-up window to signal distress. At night, keep the dome light on if possible. It only uses a small amount of electricity and will make it easier for rescuers to find you.”
• Listen to your body. You don’t want to hurt yourself while digging out of a ditch or clearing the snow away.
• Make sure the exhaust pipe doesn’t have ice, snow, or mud. “A blocked exhaust pipe can cause deadly carbon monoxide gas to leak into the passenger compartment of the vehicle while the engine is running.”
• Keep warm. Have a hot thermos, blankets, and heavy clothing. Use whatever you can to stay warm.
• Conserve fuel. Try just to run the engine and heater to remove the chill.

You should also make sure your smartphone is charged so you can call AAA or other roadside services if you’re stuck. You’ll also need your smartphone to call a skilled car accident lawyer.

At Philbrook Law Office, our Vancouver and Battle Ground, WA car accident lawyers understand why car accidents happen. We work with investigators, the police, and even traffic reconstruction experts to help show how a car crash occurred and who’s responsible. This work includes showing the driver who struck your car wasn’t prepared for cold weather or did not know how to drive in the ice and snow. We seek compensation for all your injuries including payment of your medical bills, your pain and suffering, the income you lose because you cannot work, and the damage to car. Call our offices in Vancouver or Battle Ground, Washington at 360-695-3309 or fill out our contact form to discuss your right to file a lawsuit against the responsible drivers. We represent car accident victims on a contingency fee basis.