1. What to pack in your car to be prepared

• Brush Ice Scraper
• Washer Fluid
• Battery Back / Jumper Cables
• First Aid Kit
• Deicer
• Gloves
• Shovel

2. Clearing snow and ice off your vehicle

• Windshield
• When clearing snow off your windshield, be sure to start on the outside and move to the inside of the windshield. Use the scraper part of the snowbrush first, then use the rubber part, and finally the brush so that you don't damage the side of the car. 
• Headlights
• If you don't have washer fluid or deicer available, just use the brush to get snow off the headlights. Never use an ice scraper on the car headlights. 
• Grill
• It's important to clear snow off your car's grill, especially if you have a grill with small openings. If the grill gets blocked or clogged with snow, the car will overheat because air won’t be able to pass through it into the engine to cool down the radiator. It’s always a good idea to clean it with the brush, and then just tap it lightly to free loose snow.
• Snow buildup on tires
• Oftentimes, your tires may pick up snow and it will start to build up on the back of the tire and the fender around the tire. It could build up to the point where the snow will be touching the tire, and just that small contact between the fender, the snow, and the tire will cause the tire to be out of balance. If that happens and you’re driving with this snow buildup, the steering wheel can start to shake. Some people will take their car to an auto-body shop or dealership thinking that they have a balancing problem, but it’s actually just the snow buildup. If you have a vibration that you didn’t have before, make sure to clear all the snow from the back and front of the tire, and that vibration should be gone.

3. Winter tire maintenance

Tires are very important in the wintertime. On vehicles that are all-wheel drive or four-wheel drive, you can have 4 modern snow tires. 

If you have a vehicle that is front-wheel drive, you want to have 2 modern snow tires on the front. 

If you have a vehicle that is rear-wheel drive, you want to have at least 2 modern snow tires on the rear because they will be your traction wheels. 

Checking tire pressure is especially important in the wintertime. Every vehicle has a tire pressure tag with information on proper tire inflation inside the driver’s side door. Anytime you need to check your tire pressure, make sure to refer to that tag and inflate tires based on what it says for your specific car.

4. What to do before turning off your vehicle

Once you get to your destination, if it’s snowing or snow or sleet is predicted, it’s very important that you shut off the wipers before turning off the car and them lift them up off of the windshield. 

You want to do this so that when you start your car back up, they won't come on and either break the motor or the linkage. Lifting up your wipers also ensures that they won’t get frozen to the windshield. 

5. Winter safe driving tips

• Don't crowd the plows
• You want to have three to four car lengths between you and a plow so they don’t block your visibility. Also, plows may be throwing salt and sand on the road, and you don’t want it to come back and hit the front of your car. 
• Reduce your speed
• If you're driving in a snowstorm, a good guide is to reduce your speed by at least half. If you’re going 60 mph, you would want to reduce your speed to 30 mph. If the snow is just starting to come down, be sure to reduce your speed by at least 10 mph for safety. 
• Turn away from sliding surfaces
• If you do happen to skid or start sliding, don’t panic! Let off the accelerator, and turn the wheel away from the sliding surface. If you’re sliding to the right, go left with the wheel, and wait for the car to regain control. 
  

6. Gaining traction when you're stuck in the snow

If your vehicle is stuck in the snow and you need to get some traction, you can always grab your floor mat and put it in front of the tire between the snow and the tire. This should give the tire enough traction to release it from the snow. You can put it on the front of the tire, or if you’re trying to go in reverse, you can put it on the back of the tire. 

If you have a rear-wheel drive vehicle, you'll put the mat on the rear tires, or whichever tire is spinning. If you don’t have a floor mat, you can always use a jacket, a sweatshirt, a piece of cardboard, or anything that you can put in between the snow and the tire to help gain traction.

If you want to learn more about these topics, check out TransAction Associate's 2020 webinar on preparing your car for the snow, where they go into full detail on winter car maintenance and safety tips!