With autumn waning, and winter just around the corner, driving becomes a major factor in road and safety awareness. Keeping your automobile in good working condition over the winter months allows for a higher degree of safety, and staying visible is no flippant task.
Pedestrians, cyclists, motorcyclists and drivers all need to do their part because seeing each other is the first tenant of safety. Hi visibility safety vests should be worn by walkers, cyclists, school crosswalk workers, road-side construction and first responder teams.
Here are some simple precautions drivers can take in reference to maintenance and driving safety:
Get a tune-up – Avoid, to the best of your ability, having roadside issues in the first place. Maintaining a vehicle will lessen the chances of becoming stranded, thereby creating a dangerous situation.
Use your lights – In some countries, they use their headlights at all times, and why not? It’s just a simple habit that you could get into, but especially in the darker, winter months.
Check your tires – Wear and tear on your tires happens in the summer months as well, but remember, tires are your only contact with the road. In the winter, not only rainy but slushy and snowy wintry weather adds to the driving danger.
Have your brakes checked – You may need to stop readily, and having your brakes in tip-top condition is crucial. Luckily, sometimes all you need are pads replaced, and replacement of pads saves the discs. Maintaining your brakes will save you a lot of money over the long haul also.
Maintain a safe distance – This one goes hand in hand with having your brakes checked. When you have good brakes, you know that you can stop when you need to – in perfect conditions. But in wintry weather, conditions are often wet, slippery and icy, causing brake distances to be longer. Stay further back than you regularly would and remember to look ahead of the car you’re immediately behind.
