Nickeled and Dimed

Here in Ohio, the past week has not been pretty weather wise.  On top of the arcticly cold temperatures, we also got piles of snow dumped on us.  A drive that usually takes me under five minutes took over an hour getting from work to the freeway.  The result of the mix of bad weather and crowded traffic was an increase in the number of auto accidents.

A car accident can be a major hit to your finances.  On top of the costs to repair or replace your car, you could have medical bills as a result of the crash.  Even if you are properly insured, the deductibles alone can put a large dent in your emergency fund.

So with that in mind, here are five mistakes to avoid while driving in winter weather from an article at www.forbes.com by Hannah Elliott:

Driving too fast. Learn to accelerate and decelerate slowly during inclement weather. “I can’t tell you how many crashes, strandings and just bad things in general happen when people are traveling faster than they should be,” New York state police officer David Salmon says. “Not only from the standpoint of losing control of your vehicle on slippery roads, but also the magnitude of a crash when and if you do hit something else.” Take extra care on hills and around corners; accelerating up hills causes wheels to spin.

Following others too closely. During the summer, following other drivers at a count of two or three seconds might be enough, but in bad conditions, allow at least five or six seconds of distance. And don’t stop at all if you can avoid it: The power required to move forward from a stop far outweighs the power required to keep a car rolling, and you’ll need all the help you can get if you’re on ice. And never use cruise control on wet conditions.

Overcorrecting on ice. Learn how to control a skid. If you’re traveling in a straight line, stay calm, take your foot off the gas and brake gently. Turn the steering wheel in the direction you want to go. If you slip on a corner, smoothly accelerate to transfer the weight to the rear wheels, which allows you to steer into the direction of the skid and regain control. If the car uses rear-wheel drive, don’t over-accelerate, or the tires may over-spin completely out of the turn.

Driving while fatigued. Failure to get adequate sleep before attempting a long trip on cold, short winter days greatly increases driving risks. Be realistic in driving estimates so that it’s not difficult to meet planned arrival times. If you start to feel tired, switch drivers or pull into a safe area for a nap.

Driving with poor visibility. Driving at night and driving in the rain or snow greatly reduce visibility, which leads to immense risks on the road. Poor weather is associated with 7,000 fatalities, 800,000 injuries and more than 1.5 million car crashes nationally each year, with an estimated economic toll of $42 billion. Adverse weather is involved in nearly 20% of highway fatalities.

Follow these tips and you will significantly lower your chances of an accident in bad weather.

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