8 Winter Driving Safety Tips in Canada – Driving in Canada during the winter is no longer considered child’s play due to the dangers of ice to road users.
Winter is havoc on several Canadian regions, including Quebec, Ontario, and even Toronto. On the roads and highways that run through the GTA, these locations have had over 600 accidents.
The majority of drivers failed to take the essential precautions to drive in these hazardous weather conditions, which is the cause of this heinous occurrence.
The tracks are frequently slick, and driving conditions are less than ideal due to the freezing temperatures described earlier.
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If you plan on driving during this time, you must adequately prepare and take all necessary precautions to arrive at your destination safely.
Below are the important tips you should obey when driving in Canada during the winter.
1. Limit your speed
Remember that the listed speed limits you see along the roadside are primarily for summer season climates. Let it be noted that the only time you should not drive at high speeds on roads, motorways, or city streets is during the winter.
It is because, no matter how active or agile a driver is, using the brake in the dry will be extremely difficult. You will not be able to slow down quickly enough to prevent colliding with another car or hitting a pedestrian.
Furthermore, when it rains, snows, or the temperature drops, you must slow down because the road will become completely slick at any time during that period.
2. Ensure you keep longer distances
Another thing to remember when the tracks are slick is to keep a greater distance between your car and the car in front of you than you would on a typical day. Again, black ice is nearly impossible to detect until it is too late.
So, if you keep a more significant space between you and the black ice, you can apply the brake when you see it, and because the vehicle will not be able to stop, it will slide and halt a few meters away if no other vehicle is in its way.
3. Get your vehicle ready for winter
Check antifreeze, brakes, and windshield wipers with winter tires just before you leave.
Do so when you wish to travel and when you want to go somewhere within the city. As a driver, you must have a winter kit in your vehicle. Thermal blankets, a first-aid kit, a snow brush, flares, booster cables, water, and matches should all be included in your winter kit.
In some instances, chocolate bars are included in the snow kit. If you become trapped in the snow, the chocolate bar can provide you with the calories you need while you wait for help.
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Another thing to remember in your preparations is to keep your cell phone charged and to have the contact information of agencies that can assist you quickly on the road you want to travel.
4. Clean snow thoroughly from your vehicle
Accidents frequently occur due to the driver’s inability to perceive the road and the falling of the line on the highways of vehicles in front of them. As a result, shortly before leaving the house and hitting the road, make sure you’ve cleaned your car thoroughly, including the windows, mirrors, lights, and even the roof, or any other area where snow and ice can build. Allow the fog windows to clear so you can see around your car from all sides.
5. Learn to apply brake under an emergency
Do you have an antilock braking system (ABS) in your car? If that’s the case, then let it do its work. The purpose of having an ABS in a car is to allow you to steer your vehicle even when the brakes are ultimately applied.
If your car is older and doesn’t have ABS brakes, the best thing to do is pump the brakes, which provides you better control of your direction than letting it skate.
If you have the option, opt for a car with anti-lock brakes (ABS), vehicle stability control (VSC), and traction control, as these new technologies make winter driving safer.
6. Traction on the four wheels
Although your vehicle having a four-wheel drive is not an assurance that it will not skid, but to a large extent, how your vehicle responds to skidding depends on whether it has a four-wheel drive or not. In as much as wheel drive is essential, don’t be too confident.
7. Make sure you light up all the time because you have to be visible
Keep your lights on even during the day to ensure that they are in good working order. Furthermore, avoid using the high beams during a heavy snowfall because they will prohibit you from seeing correctly; instead, use the ones you have, but low if you don’t have fog lights.
8. Your tires, battery, and brakes should be in good condition this season.
Most people make the mistake of thinking that inspecting their automobile is unnecessary and that they should only do it when they have problems. First, however, make sure that everything on the vehicle is in good working order, from the tires to the brakes to the battery.
Furthermore, avoid driving on tracks made by other road users because fresh snow provides superior traction.
Remove your foot off the brake when your car begins to skid, turn the wheel in the direction you want to go, then gently brake when the wheels have taken hold.
To summarize, driving in the winter is not easy, but by following these suggestions, you may avoid many problems, including accidents.
Source: ansuble.xyz