Driving in challenging weather conditions can increase your chances of being involved in a car accident. Properly maintaining your vehicle, taking your time on the road and knowing when to stay home can help keep you safe when winter weather makes road conditions hazardous.
No matter the season, having appropriate auto insurance coverage can help provide essential financial protection. Contact McCallum Agency in Westlake, Ohio, for a personalized auto insurance quote.
How to Prepare Your Car for Winter
If you live in an area with severe winter weather conditions, preparing your car for colder months is crucial. In addition to regular maintenance, consider the following:
· Check your tires and replace them with high-quality all-season tires if necessary. You may also consider using winter tires during the colder months.
· Check your tire pressure when the temperature drops.
· Add wiper fluid rated for winter weather.
· Test your battery and replace it if it isn’t holding a charge.
· Replace your wiper blades.
· Check and replace your cabin air filter to help the HVAC system run more efficiently.
· Make sure your car is well-stocked with a working cell phone charging cable, ice scraper, first aid kit, blankets, flashlights and jumper cables.
Understand Your Car’s Capabilities
If you’ve recently purchased a vehicle and this is your first winter driving it, check out My Car Does What? to understand your car’s built-in safety features. Depending on the year, make and model of your vehicle, it may be equipped with the following:
· Traction control is standard equipment on modern vehicles. It helps your car gain traction on wet or icy surfaces when accelerating or scaling a slippery hill.
· Auto-braking and forward collision warning sense road hazards and warn the driver and automatically apply the brakes to help avoid a crash.
· Lane departure warning systems alert the driver if the vehicle starts to drift into another lane. Assistive technology slowly moves the car back into its lane.
· Adaptive headlights react to the position of the steering wheel. If the driver turns right, the headlights point in the same direction.
· LED taillights shine brighter than halogen bulbs to help other cars see your vehicle when approaching from behind.
Avoid Car Accidents
While many car accidents are unavoidable, there are certain things you can do in wintery weather to reduce the chances of colliding with another vehicle or object, such as the following:
· Avoid using cruise control when the road is icy or snow-covered.
· Accelerate slowly and keep your speed down.
· Increase the distance between your vehicle and other cars on the road when possible.
· Try to avoid stopping when going up a hill.
· If you start to skid, steer in the direction of the skid.
· If visibility is severely limited, pull over to a safe place until road conditions improve.
· Watch the weather forecast and pay attention to local road conditions. Stay home during winter storms if possible.
Contact Us
While circumstances beyond your control can cause accidents, it’s essential to have appropriate auto insurance coverage to help protect your financial well-being. Contact the McCallum Agency today to get help tailoring your auto insurance to meet your needs.
This blog is intended for informational and educational use only. It is not exhaustive and should not be construed as legal advice. Please contact your insurance professional for further information.