Are You Ready For Safe Winter Travel?
My wife and I were discussing an upcoming trip that we have taken for the last 30 years during the third weekend in December. This is our extended family (brothers, sisters, nieces’ nephews and the now great nieces and nephews) Holiday get together. I always look forward to this family gathering but also am always a little nervous about travel in Winter. In the 30 years we have been getting together we have had to cancel twice due to weather conditions.
When I was younger I never worried about Winter travel. However, as the years have gone by, I have experienced plenty of times when I felt lucky to have made it home safely. I also have felt the pain of losing loved ones to an automobile accident caused by winter road conditions. These experiences have made me cautious.
You can’t stop traveling in Winter but you can make sure you are prepared and your automobile has been properly prepared. Listed here is some advice on items that I have learned over the years.
Have an emergency care package in your automobile. In Winter, things happen. Make sure you are prepared by packing some of the following items.
Warm Clothes
Warm Clothes, including heavy jacket, gloves, hat and boots. If you have snow pants, back them as well. These items can fit inside a small duffel bag. It may be tempting to take that trip without this care package but you never know when you will need it.
In February of last year, my wife and I traveled to Chicago. Had a great day and headed home after 10:00 p.m. . The temperature was in the single digits, below 10 deg F. As luck would have it, I had a flat tire. I utilized my care package and was able to keep warm as I worked to change the tire.
Food & Water
I have never been in a travel situation where I was about to starve or die of thirst. However, I have been in situations where it was nice to have food and water. It doesn’t take much to stop traffic in the winter time as ice and snow can cause havoc. I have run off the road due to snow and ice and it took time to get help. The food and water comes in handy then.
Equipment care package
The right equipment can help you out of a jam at times. A Flashlight is a must. You need it to see to change a tire. If you have to walk to get help, you need it to help you see where you are going.
An Ice Scraper is essential. Freezing rain, melting and freezing snow, or frost can make it difficult to see out of your automobile windows. I would suggest also keeping an extra ice scraper in your house. If your car sets outside overnight, you may find yourself not able to get into it due to the ice/snow that has accumulated overnight. Use the ice scraper from the house to help you gain access to the inside of your car.
Winter weather is especially hard on your automobile batteries. It is not uncommon to find that your batteries have gone low before you get your automobile started. Having a set of Jumper Cables can save the day by being able to get a boost from another automobile. You may be the one giving a boost since you have a set of jumper cables.
I also keep a small bottle Windshield Washer Fluid in my automobile. There is nothing worse than traveling in snowy or winter rain conditions and you run out of windshield washer fluid. You windows streak and you can’t see a thing.
If you have ever had your automobile stuck and there is no-one around to help you, you will quickly appreciate having a small shovel and cardboard or rugs. You can use the shovel to clear the snow away from your automobile and the cardboard or rugs placed if front of the drive wheel to provide traction that can help you get unstuck.
This is the modern age and communication utilizing cells phones have helped tremendously with communication. However, if the phone batter us dead, that cell phone is useless. Make sure you have a phone charger in your automobile.
Preventative Maintenance
Thus far I have written about items you should have with you when you travel. However, there are preventative maintenance items that you should do to your automobile to help keep it running smooth in the winter.
Tire pressure is a key maintenance item. The change in the ambient air temperatures can cause the tire pressure to reduce over time. Once it gets colder, you should check your tire pressure and make sure it is at the recommended pressure. Too low of pressure causes excessive tire ear. Too high of pressure reduces the traction that the tire has with the road.
I also recommend that you change your oil if you haven’t done so in a while. Dirty oil is thicker and harder to move and can cause your engine to start harder. While you are having the oil changed, make sure you top off the windshield washer fluid as well.
Travel Tips
When I travel in the winter, I do not let the gas tank get much below half full. This way, I always know that if I do run into trouble, I will be able to keep my automobile running for a period of time.
These are just a few thoughts on making sure you are ready for safe winter travel. The last piece of advice I have, is to make sure that when you are traveling on a long winter trip someone knows when to expect you to arrive. If the weather looks bad, don’t be in a hurry or maybe you should wait a day before you start. Once a life is gone, you don’t get it back!