Every year when the first winter storm hits it takes some procrastinator by surprise. Our advice to help you avoid an insurance claim is to get ready now. The biggest things when it comes to winter driving are preparation, patience, and practice. The easiest to solve with prior planning is winter prep. Much of this is common sense bald tires, bad wipers, or frozen wiper fluid are three quick ways to an accident. So without further ado here is our list of todos:
1.) Tires – This is where the rubber meets the road, and probably the most important part of successful winter driving. No amount of all-wheel-drive or traction control can fix bad or bald tires. A Mustang with good snow tires will outperform the newest of 4WD SUVs if that SUV has bad tires.
2.) Wipers & Fluid – Melting snow kicks up an insane amount of dust dirt and grime. Without washer fluid, you can’t see. Running out of fluid or having it freeze will make it impossible to clear build-up off your windscreen. Bad wipers only serve to compound that, we recommend changing them at least once a year at the beginning of winter.
3.) Accessories – Not the fashion ones but things you need: gloves, a long ice scraper, sunglasses, a warm hat in the car. These things will make removing snow from your car, driving before the heater is warmed up, or dealing with blinding sun/snow much easier.
4.) Check your charging system – “Let’s see if we can make it through the winter driving season” is a recipe for it dying at the exact wrong time. Cold is the enemy of strong starting, and a healthy battery and alternator will solve for this.
5.) Cooling system – Most cooling systems fail during the summer when cars to overheat, but it is called anti-freeze for a reason. Your “cooling” system also powers your heater. Make sure your system is in order, topped up and has the right ratio of coolant to water so you can avoid a system freeze.
That sums up most of the easy stuff when it comes to getting ready for the winter driving season. Looking for other more explicit ways to save on auto insurance? Check out our guide to saving on auto insurance here.
