Winter Driving Video Project 1

Courtland Hanley & Elyssa Ellis

Video Package Project

Dan Williams

Due 11/13/13

Winter Driving

                With winter here, temperatures are continuing to drop, and we have already seen some snow fall. It may not have stuck around but it soon will.

The state of Vermont has a Project Road Safe plan that has been set in place for a number of years. This is about keeping the roadways safe during the year, with advice geared towards specific seasons.

To properly prepare you for the winter, Project Road Safe Manager Norm James says you should have winter tires on your vehicle, your anti-freeze should register to -30/-40 degrees below zero, and make sure your wipers are working properly and blades are in good condition. These are just some of the ways to get ready for the winter season.

Another very important thing you should keep in your car is a cold weather kit which has an ice scraper, a flashlight with extra batteries, a snow brush, jumper cables, chains, extra washer fluid, and a small snow shovel.

Another item you should keep around is cat litter. Cat litter works really well if you get stuck. You can put it under your tires and it will melt some of the ice as well as gripping the ground a little bit better.

During the winter months it is very important to keep your cell phone fully charged just in case you get stuck and you are unable to reach emergency assistance.

Speaking of getting stuck, if you find yourself unable to move your car after a big snow storm, shovel out the areas around your vehicle. If you don’t have a shovel with you, another way to try to get out would be to keep turning your steering wheel from side to side to create some free room around your tires.

If you are stuck, make sure you do not slam on the accelerator as this will make your tires spin, and might make you get stuck even more. Once you move snow out of the way, lightly apply pressure on the accelerator.

One very key aspect to winter driving to remember is to double your following distance to any vehicle in front of you. You can figure out how far you are behind someone by finding a sign and waiting until they pass it, and then counting one one thousandths until you pass that same sign. During the winter your following distance should be doubled from 2-4 seconds to 4-8 seconds.

The most important thing to remember is to NEVER SLAM YOUR BRAKES! Making sudden rises in acceleration or brake pressure are sure to lead to scary situations. Be sure to keep steady pressure on the pedals during the winter seasons, and have all the necessary tools in your vehicle that you may need.