Now that the colder months are approaching, it’s time to start getting your vehicle ready! There’s a few things that you can keep in mind every year to prepare and check on that will not only help you to stay safe during your daily drives in the fall and winter, but may come in handy in any potential emergency situations. 

Prepare an Emergency Kit

This is a definite priority if you live in a climate that gets a lot of snow and you find that you frequently need to be out on the road during any snow storms. A small emergency kit in your car is the sort of thing you hope never to need, but it’s still good to have. Make sure to add blankets, warm clothes like hats, gloves, and socks, some nonperishable food like granola bars, a flashlight, a first aid kit, and some things that might be helpful for your car, like jumper cables or an ice scraper. Throw it all in a box to pop in your trunk or backseat, and on the off chance that you end up needing it, you’ll be very grateful to have it.

Get Up To Date On Your Maintenance

Life can get pretty busy, and everyone has been guilty of putting off things like getting your car serviced. However, now is the time to get it done, because colder conditions can exacerbate problems that are already there or cause new ones. You’ll want to get your wiper blades and fluid levels checked, as well as your brakes, belts, hoses, and all of the other things that get assessed during routine maintenance. Most importantly you need to be aware of the state of your tires. If the tread is worn down or the pressure is low, this can be a major hazard in cold and slippery conditions. Don’t wait until it’s an emergency to keep your vehicle performing well.

Brush Up on Fall and Winter Driving Practices

It’s a good time of year to refresh your memory on the driving practices specific to fall and winter that you may not have remembered too well from your driver’s ed class. For example, avoiding leaves on the road as they can be a slipping hazard when wet, avoiding driving through leaf piles in general since children and pets are known to hide in them and might not be visible, and not parking over leaf piles as this may be a fire hazard. As winter settles in, be aware of black ice on the road and be sure to increase your stopping distance if you’re worried about slippery conditions. If it’s been a while since you last drove in winter weather conditions, consider heading out to an empty parking lot the next time it snows for a little practice!

 

Tags: autumn, driving tips, fall, maintenance, Safety, winter
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