(Source: https://www.nhtsa.gov/winter-driving-safety#winter-driving-safety-tips-traveling-safely).
Winter is here, and we now need to expect the unexpected while driving. During the winter, as we all know, roads can be icy, slippery, and sometimes downright undrivable. These conditions pose a very real danger to the motoring public. However, as set forth below, steps can be taken to reduce the risks associated with driving when the weather is inclement. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) offers the following tips, which will help keep you and your loved ones safe while traveling during the winter months.
- —Remember that it can be challenging for even experienced drivers to drive safely in winter weather. According to NHTSA, 17% of all motor vehicle crashes take place during winter conditions.
- —Make sure that your car is ready to be on the road during the winter. This means adhering to good preventative maintenance practices to make sure that your car is in good running condition and capable of driving when the weather is rough. This includes, but is not limited to, checking your car’s battery, wipers, coolant, and tires, which are especially impacted when the weather is cold and wet.
- —Always clear all snow, ice, and dirt off of your windshield, windows, headlights and taillights, sensors, and cameras before pulling out of the driveway and onto the road.
- —Give yourself plenty of extra time to get where you are going; slow down since it is much more difficult to brake and stop your car on wet roads and because it is more difficult to control your vehicle in slippery conditions.
- —Have your auto stocked with a safety kit in case of a disabling accident or a breakdown. NHTSA recommends including the following items: blankets, flashlights, jumper cables, and flares or emergency lights.
- —Never forget this important year-round advice: Always wear your seatbelt and always have children in size and age-appropriate child seats.
The attorneys at Liever, Hyman & Potter, P.C., are concerned for the safety of families and the motoring public traveling on the roads and highways in Berks County and Schuylkill County and serve auto, truck, and motorcycle accident victims and their families in Reading, PA, Pottsville, PA, and throughout Central and Eastern Pennsylvania, including Philadelphia. The lawyers at the firm handle injury claims, including claims for serious injuries and death caused by the negligence of others. The firm also handles medical malpractice claims, workers’ compensation cases, and nursing home neglect cases.
From the desk of Adam K. Levin, Esquire