Driving tips

Surviving Mother Nature’s Wrath H S J P M W

Tips and tricks on how to deal with winter’s fury dBy Tessa Mattison

The National Safety Council recommends preparing your car by:

- Scheduling any maintenance due for your car - Checking your battery (the power falls with the temperature) - Checking the cooling system - Investing in good winter tires (deeper and more flexible) - Checking the tread of all-season tires, if your car uses them (if it’s less than 2/32 of an inch, replace them) - Checking the tire pressure (same as your battery, the pressure falls with the temperature) - Checking your wiper blades - Using wiper fluid made for -30 degrees (only while the weather is cold) - Avoiding a gas line freeze by keeping your tank half full at all times - Making sure that your car’s emergency preparedness kit is full

Before you hit the road, the National Safety Council recommends:

- Making sure there is no blockage on your sensors - Warming your car up - Never leaving your car run while in a garage (door open or not) to avoid carbon monoxide poisoning - Checking the weather before

A- If it looks like the weather may become dangerous, leave at a different time - If you must leave, tell someone where you are headed and the route you’ll take in case you end up in an accident

Preparing to drive in winter conditions- Driving in the winter can be especially dangerous, this is how to avoid the worst.

Coach Cassiday suggests to “clean your car completely off”

This includes: - The camera lenses and mirrors - The windows (clear of snow, frost, or ice)

To drive as safe as possible, AAA recommends:

- Not using cruise control when the roads are unsafe - If you begin to skid, steer the wheel in the same direction your back tires are going (usually the opposite of what your front tires are doing) - When speeding up or slowing down, do so at a slow pace - Avoid stopping when driving uphill - If it becomes too difficult to see, pull off to a safe spot and wait out the weather

Deputy Richmond recommends:

- To “slow down” - Be “attentive to other cars in the distance, watch to make sure their car isn’t losing control”

Coach Cassiday recommends:

- To “only drive if necessary” - Also to “drive slower than normal” - “Increase following distance” - “Avoid heavy acceleration going uphill” - “Avoid hard braking going downhill”

- To have a “full tank of gas” O

Levi Roach, senior, has experienced the effects of dangerous weather first hand. He said that if he could’ve changed one thing, it would be that he “had new tires.”

Staying safe during a winter storm Staying safe in a broken down car

Here’s how to prepare, act, and recover when a winter storm hits.

P J H M S

Driving in the winter can be especially dangerous, this is how to O Before the storm hits, the Center for Disease Control recommends: - Insulating your water lines, walls, and attic - Repairing any areas that could be damaged more during a storm - Placing smoke and carbon monoxide detectors in your home (battery powered) - Creating a emergency preparedness kit for your car (see list below) allstate recommends having an emergency preparedness kit full of: - First aid kit and any medications - Flashlight and back-up batteries - Cellphone and, fully charged, portable charger - Jumper cables avoid the worst. - Checking weather forecasts frequently - Snow and ice scraper with a brush (most come with both) - Stocking up your home with food, water, and any other neces- - Thick blanket or sleeping bag sary supplies - Tire chains or tow straps - Bringing your pets inside and anything that can be broken easily - Extra warm and thick clothes

During the storm, the Center for Disease Control recom- - Small snow shovel Wmends: - Kitty litter or a bag of sand (a tip from Coach Cassiday) - Staying warm by using a fireplace or portable heaters - If the power goes out, using flashlights instead of candles (limits the risk of an unwanted fire) - If using a generator, placing it at least 20 feet from any openings that may come in contact with rain or snow - To keep the warmth in, avoiding opening doors and windows, While waiting for help, Allstate recommends- Once in a safe spot, calling for help from either 911 or a nearby friend/ family member Staying in your vehicle to close all doors whenever leaving a room, and cover windows and - ensure a better chance of being found cracks - remove the risk of becoming hurt or disoriented

When the storm has passed and you decide to venture out- - remove risk of becoming lost

side, the Center for Disease Control recommends: Making your car as visible as possible by:

- Layering up - turning your hazards on - Avoiding getting your layers wet (wet clothes steals heat from - raising the car’s hood, after the snow has stopped your body) - tying a bright piece of fabric to your car’s antenna - Learning the signs of hypothermia: shivering, tiredness, confu- Also making sure to: M sion and memory loss, and mumbling when speaking - Learning the signs of frostbite- loss of feeling and discoloration in the nose, ears, cheeks, chin, fingers, and toes. Those areas usually turn a white or grayish hue and the skin feels firm or waxy - Avoiding walking on ice or walk slowly - Avoiding overworking yourself O- Keep warm by doing light exercises, huddling with any passengers, covering yourself in any available layers, and run the engine for 10 minutes every hour (running it longer will create a risk of carbon monoxide poisoning) - Drink fluids to avoid dehydration, which will rise the risk of health hazards featureu november | december 2021 u the viewpoint u23