Winter storm safety!

[Russ]

They posted this at work. Be safe out there.


Please see below for safety tips for driving in winter weather.
• Check the road conditions in your area via the internet or stay tuned to local news broadcasts for more information on roadway and weather conditions.
• Remove snow and ice from your vehicle before you drive, making sure the headlights and taillights are visible.
• Drive with your low-beam headlights illuminated.
• Increase your following distance.
• Brake gently in slow, steady strokes to see how much traction you have, and begin braking early when approaching intersections or stops.
• Never use cruise control in winter driving conditions.
• Remember that four-wheel drive helps you get going quicker, but it won’t help you stop any faster.
Tips if you get stranded on the roads:
• Never leave your car behind
• If you can, get your car out of the way of traffic
• Put your hazard lights on
• If you have a reflective triangle, put it outside the vehicle
• Resist the urge to keep your engine running continuously; run 10-15 minutes per hour with a window cracked
• Make sure your exhaust pipe is cleared
• Touch base with family, friends or co-workers before heading out or heading home
• Make sure you have your cell phone charger
It is advised to keep the following items in your vehicle (a.k.a Winter Survival Kit!)
Flares
Blankets and warm clothes
Shovel and scraper
Flashlight and batteries
Lighter or matches
First-aid kit
Booster/jumper cable
Chain/tow strap
Non-perishable food
Water

[monkeywrangler71]

And when you are clearing the snow & ice off of your vehicle, don't forget the roof! Nothing worse than having a giant sheet of ice land on your windshield when you are driving down the highway.

[Darlene]

Another good tip for any day of the year...
Common sense people, don't leave home without it.

[Ramona]

My best tip for winter driving: if you live in a state that allows studded snow tires, buy them! I buy a full set (4) of winter tires at Hogan Tire and have them studded every few years. They put them on for free and bag my radials and put them in the back seat. Come spring, they reverse the procedure for free.

Before I splurged on studded snow tires, I had two near-miss skidding accidents. Since then, I've had none. My peace of mind is priceless.

My second best tip is cover your windshield. I bought a few yards of black material at WalMart. I throw it over the windshield and anchor it in the car doors. I also have two magnetic clips to keep the fabric over the windshield wipers and window washer outlet. After I've cleaned off my car, I gently remove the fabric and my windshield, wipers and washer squirter thingie are perfectly clean, all the snow is piled onto the fabric. If the fabric ever freezes to the windshield, I just run the defroster. Comes right off.

[frugalfranny]

Some great reminders............thanks.

Stay safe out there!!

[Minner77]

My second best tip is cover your windshield. I bought a few yards of black material at WalMart. I throw it over the windshield and anchor it in the car doors. I also have two magnetic clips to keep the fabric over the windshield wipers and window washer outlet. After I've cleaned off my car, I gently remove the fabric and my windshield, wipers and washer squirter thingie are perfectly clean, all the snow is piled onto the fabric. If the fabric ever freezes to the windshield, I just run the defroster. Comes right off.[/QUOTE]

Hi there!

Question for you: I bought windshield covers for my sons, but they haven't used them. Who knows why? Anyway, the mechanism for keeping the cover on is a suction cup, which I doubt will work so well in the bitter cold we have here ((over 40 below with wind chill right now). So -- what magnetic clips are you talking about? That sounds like a winner?

Thanks!

[Ramona]

My second best tip is cover your windshield. I bought a few yards of black material at WalMart. I throw it over the windshield and anchor it in the car doors. I also have two magnetic clips to keep the fabric over the windshield wipers and window washer outlet. After I've cleaned off my car, I gently remove the fabric and my windshield, wipers and washer squirter thingie are perfectly clean, all the snow is piled onto the fabric. If the fabric ever freezes to the windshield, I just run the defroster. Comes right off.

Hi there!

Question for you: I bought windshield covers for my sons, but they haven't used them. Who knows why? Anyway, the mechanism for keeping the cover on is a suction cup, which I doubt will work so well in the bitter cold we have here ((over 40 below with wind chill right now). So -- what magnetic clips are you talking about? That sounds like a winner?

Thanks![/QUOTE]

Hi!

Here's a link to Google shopping for ideas:

[ame=http://www.google.com/search?client=firefox-a&rls=org.mozilla:en-USfficial&hl=en&q=magnetic+clip&gbv=2&ie=UTF-8&tbo=u&tbs=shop:1&source=og&sa=N&tab=if&biw=1016&bih=541]magnetic clip - Google Search[/ame]


Items #4 and 5 are almost exactly what I use. I picked them up at a hardware store.

Depending on the thickness of the material of their covers, I hope these will work.

[KeithBC]

Question for you: I bought windshield covers for my sons, but they haven't used them. Who knows why? Anyway, the mechanism for keeping the cover on is a suction cup, which I doubt will work so well in the bitter cold we have here ((over 40 below with wind chill right now). So -- what magnetic clips are you talking about? That sounds like a winner?

Thanks!

The windshield cover I bought has elastics that run in through the doors and meet with a clip above the dash. The doors close over them.

Before that, I just used an old bath towel, tucked into the doors. The bath towel worked perfectly except that it got really heavy if the snow melted.