Just like every character in "Game of Thrones," we know that winter is coming. According to the 2015 Farmer's Almanac, this winter promises to be packed with freezing temperatures and above-average snowfall, which can only mean lots of fun on the roads.
Related: How to Survive Winter With Rear-Wheel Drive
Bridgestone Tires recently conducted a survey of people in the Snow Belt to get an idea of how winter impacts driving behaviors and attitudes. It turns out that a majority of folks simply don't like to drive in winter. In fact, they don't like how others drive in winter, either.
The online survey of 2,031 adults 18 and older found that 25 percent of Snow Belt drivers had been in a crash caused by winter weather, and 40 percent had witness a crash in those same conditions. The survey found that people are so loathe driving in winter weather that they'd rather shovel their sidewalks or engage in Black Friday craziness. In light of this, we'd like to offer a few tips on how to make sure you and your car are prepared for the coming winter.
Winter tires: Bridgestone's survey found that while a whopping 84 percent of people prepare their cars in some way for winter, only 25 percent of them use winter tires. Winter tires are engineered for colder temperatures and as a result, improve the car's handling in winter conditions.
We recently put this notion to the test. We drove a car with all-season tires and another with winter tires on the ice rink at Denver's Pepsi Center, home to the Colorado Avalanche, during a winter driving event sponsored by Tire Rack and Bridgestone. The winter tires accelerated, cornered and braked with greater efficiency and control than the all-seasons on the ice. The difference was nothing short of staggering.
Antifreeze and windshield wiper fluid: This is something you can do yourself, contributing both to your confidence as a responsible adult and to your car's cold weather stamina. Make sure your radiator is topped off to ensure the internal combustion engine doesn't totally internally combust as it works overtime through the ice and snow. Fill up the windshield wiper fluid reservoir so your windshield can stay clear of the mud and muck that gathers from wet roads. You may want to check out the winter blends of windshield wiper fluid that contain de-icing agents. Also, give a close look to your windshield wipers and replace them, if needed; they'll be working hard once the snow falls.
Check, check, check: Whether you've had any thoughts about needing new brakes, now is a good time to get them checked to ensure proper function before winter weather is here to stay. It's also time to have a mechanic check your battery and look for leaks or worn hoses under the hood.
No brake pumping and allow some space: Assuming you have antilock brakes, which most cars do these days, one of the important things to remember about winter driving is to simply push firmly on your brakes and hold if you hit a slick patch and start slipping. That pumping stuff you learned back in the day? That was pre-ABS, so forget it. Of course, if you are driving a car that hails from the 1980s or earlier, pumping the brakes is still a good idea. And even though tailgating before a football game is fun, don't tail other drivers. Give everyone a little more room on the road in winter.
Roadside emergency kit: This isn't the first time you've heard this from us, but repetition eventually sinks in (we hope). We wouldn't wish an icy breakdown on anyone, but in the unlikely event that it happens, it's good to be prepared. Items like a flashlight with extra batteries, a wool blanket, WD-40, a set of tools, nonperishable snacks and some jumper cables fill an emergency kit nicely. A small snow shovel is another good item to keep in the trunk, if you live in a snowy state. You can even buy a roadside emergency kit already assembled from your local auto-parts store or Target.
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