The snow is coming! To safe say on the road this winter, follow these six driving tips from the North Tonawanda Police Department:
- Make sure your tires have the right amount of pressure. Under-inflated tires put more strain on the car and can result in unbalanced turns.
- If you hit any icy patches on the road, don't hit the brakes too hard and don't put the car in neutral. If your car starts to slip and slide across the ice, ease off the gas, slowly tap the breaks and steer your car to match the direction the back of the car is already sliding. Remember: don't panic.
- When there are drastic drops in the weather, there is a higher probability that the locks on the car will freeze solid. Keep a small bottle of deicer or hand sanitizer on your key ring - both can be used to unfreeze your locks when you squirt the solution into them. Make sure to keep at least a half a tank of gas in the car when the cold weather reaches below freezing to prevent your gas tank and fuel lines from freezing up.
- Don't use cruise control driving on icy or snow-covered roads. Make sure to have full control of the car.
- Always check two things before going on a big trip: the weather report and the car's exhaust pipe. Make sure the exhaust pipe isn't clogged with a buildup of snow, ice, debris or dirt. If it is, carbon monoxide gas could leak into the car.
- Drive as slowly as possible. Pressing the gas slowly to accelerate and easing off of it when stopping is the best way to retain traction. Take more time to slow down for traffic lights and stop signs.
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