If you are a new driver, or recently moved to New England, you may not be ready for driving in the snow and ice. As a matter of fact, last winter was fairly mild, so we all need a refresher.
We’ve put together some tips for when the weather turns sour.
- Be ready. What do we mean by this? Have your car ready BEFORE and IN CASE of bad weather. What the forecast says could be a rainy night could quickly turn into a snowy and ice filled drive home, so just be ready. Have your snow brush/ice scraper in the car, make sure the windshield washer fluid is topped off.
- Drive slower than normal. This should be a no-brainer, but being overconfident in the snow is pretty common these days. With a lot of vehicles having All Wheel Drive and Four Wheel Drive, the tendency is to think you can drive in the snow the same way you can drive on dry pavement-and that’s not true. Driving slower will also let you be more in control in the case of a sliding car coming at you, or if you yourself find the car sliding in the opposite direction you want it to.
- Don’t pass snowplows. Just….Don’t.
- Don’t drive on a closed road, a road that hasn’t been plowed or if it looks like snow has cause the branches of trees to dip down almost to the road or where the roof of your car will be.
- Go Easy when hitting the brakes or stepping on the gas. Abruptly stopping or speeding up can cause your tires to lose friction with the road.
- Finally…if the weather is really bad, just stay off of the roads so the snowplows and sand trucks can do their jobs.
If you DO experience a claim…give us a call. With offices in Plymouth, Pembroke and Osterville….
We’re Here for You.