Out West Wednesday : Winter Driving Essentials

Last winter I didn't have a car; I rode the bus everywhere. Only being able to get around on a set schedule wasn't ideal, but not driving did have its perks. One major perk being I didn't have to learn to drive in the snow. Growing up in the South driving in snow was never something we touched on in drivers ed classes. But this winter, thanks to a promotion at work that came with a coveted parking spot, I have my car again. I am by no means a winter driving expert, but I have picked up these few essential tips.

1. The most important lesson I've learned about driving in the winter is "the break is not your friend." When you're sliding it's an automatic reaction to slam on the break, but breaks just don't work that way in the winter. Pumping your breaks work, but nothing works as well as just taking it slow and remembering you're not in a race. It's easy to add more speed, but slowing down isn't as easy.

2. The second most important lesson I've learned is to always give yourself lots of space. Because you can't just slam on your breaks it's essential to make sure you have room to slide and not hit the next car. This is especially true on round-a-bouts.

3. I drive I70 daily, one of America's most dangerous roads. Luckily I haven't gotten stuck when it closes, but that's a very real fear of mine. I always make sure to never let my tank get below a quarter full and keep a blanket, some Gatorades, and pretzels just incase it closes and I have to spend time in my car waiting for it to reopen. I live less than 10 miles from work, but have to go through a pretty sketch section of curves that are just begging for someone to crash.

4. When I bought my car back in May the most important features I wanted were heated seats and remote start. Every morning I'm so thankful I stuck to my guns and insisted I get those bells and whistles. The remote start saves me having to scrape ice off my windshield daily. I start it from the comfort of my house wait about 15 minutes and go out to a toasty warm car and melted windshield that my wipers can easily handle.


What tips do you have for driving in the winter?