Winter Driving Tips

Even with good antifreeze, snow tyres, stability control, and all-wheel drive,driving in snow, sleet, and ice is very treacherous. And even if you maintain control of your car, not everyone else will.

Accelerate slowly and gently, turn slowly and gently, and brake slowly and gently. To do this, you have to anticipate turns and stops. This means going slowly and leaving plenty of distance between you and other cars. Rapid movements lead to skids and loss of control.

• Before every winter trip: Take some extra time to make sure your car is clean and your visibility is good. Clear off the entire car, not just a little peephole in the windshield. You need just as much, if not more, visibility in poor conditions. Make sure every glass surface is clear and transparent by using a snowbrush and/or ice scraper. Your side-view mirrors and all lights should be brushed and cleared as well. Also remember to clean the snow off the rest of the car. Why? Because the rest of the snow will either (A) slide off the roof and cover your windscren as you're slowing down; or (B) fly off onto someone else's windscreen and causing him or her to smash into you. (C) It's the law.
  
  
• Know your car: Every car has different handling characteristics. You should know what your car can and cannot do in the snow. You should know if you have front, rear, part-time or full-time four-wheel drive; antilock brakes; traction control; and stability control. You should know what kind of tyres are on the car, and how all those things work and how they help you or don't help you. In fact, it's not a bad idea to do a little driving in an empty parking lot on a snowy day just so you know what to expect from your car when you drive on snowy roads.
  
  
• In case you break down in the cold weather: Invest in a snowbrush, an ice scraper, and some extra windshield washer fluid. A blanket is a good idea — just in case. If you have any winter clothes you don't wear anymore, especially an old pair of boots, throw them in the boot, too.

Winter Car Care:

As the nights draw in and Christmas approaches, here are some basic checks you should carry out to ensure that your car is ready for the Winter...

Antifreeze: Make sure you have topped up your antifreeze. You'll need a 50-50 mix of coolant to water. You may think, "I'll be extra good to my car, and give it 100% coolant." Guess what? You're wrong. The 50-50 mix has a lower freezing point and a higher boiling point than the straight stuff. So mix it up.

Windscreen Wipers: Be sure your current wiper blades clean the windscreen well, and allow you to see clearly in wet weather. Even when there's no rain, water from melting snow and slush is often thrown up onto your windscreen. When using your wipers in the winter, remember to turn them off before shutting off the engine. Why? Water frequently freezes overnight during the winter. And if your blades freeze to the windshield, when you go to start your car, the wiper motor may burn out trying to get them back to the "rest position," while you're sitting there wondering, "What's that burning smell?"

Windscreen washer reservoir: On a snowy or messy day, you can easily go through a litre or more of windshield washer fluid trying to keep your windscreen clear. For that reason, it's also a good idea to keep some extra fluid in the boot in case you run out.

Keep your petrol tank full: If you run low on petrol in the summer, you can take a chance and run down to fumes. But in the winter, if you do get stuck or stranded, the engine will be your only source of heat. And you don't want to have to worry about conserving fuel and saving the planet right at that moment...you want to stay warm.

Make sure your rear window defroster works:
Remember, it's the law to ensure that ALL of your windows be clear before you hit the road.