·Periodically clean out the frozen globs of slush around your front wheels, even if it means a trip to the coin-op pressure washer. In severe cases, these frozen clumps can reduce your ability to steer effectively in an emergency maneuver- not to mention wasting fuel unnecessarily.
·On warmer days, avoid large puddles- no matter how strong the urge to send a tidal wave cascading over innocent pedestrians. There could be a large rock in that puddle, or a pothole beneath. Wet brakes don't work very well either.
·Is your vehicle leaking or making a strange sound? Either of these conditions indicates a problem, so be sure to address the concern as soon as possible. Harsh winter driving conditions tend to aggravate poorly maintained vehicle components- meaning you're more likely to break down when its 20 below. Just to ruin your trip, this usually happens on a family outing or when towing a heavy trailer.
·Should you get into a skid, remember to look and steer where you need to go at all times. Never pump the brake pedal, and if your car has antilock, learn to let it do the work for you. Forget steering into or out of a skid- simply keep your eyes and steering pointed where you need to go. If you need to steer, do it smoothly and avoid sudden aggressive inputs. Where possible, smooth and gentle changes to steering and braking are best.
photo:Jupiter Images
·On warmer days, avoid large puddles- no matter how strong the urge to send a tidal wave cascading over innocent pedestrians. There could be a large rock in that puddle, or a pothole beneath. Wet brakes don't work very well either.
·Is your vehicle leaking or making a strange sound? Either of these conditions indicates a problem, so be sure to address the concern as soon as possible. Harsh winter driving conditions tend to aggravate poorly maintained vehicle components- meaning you're more likely to break down when its 20 below. Just to ruin your trip, this usually happens on a family outing or when towing a heavy trailer.
·Should you get into a skid, remember to look and steer where you need to go at all times. Never pump the brake pedal, and if your car has antilock, learn to let it do the work for you. Forget steering into or out of a skid- simply keep your eyes and steering pointed where you need to go. If you need to steer, do it smoothly and avoid sudden aggressive inputs. Where possible, smooth and gentle changes to steering and braking are best.
photo:Jupiter Images