While winter is one of the most popular times for people to travel to visit their friends and family members as they seek to share the holidays together, winter travel also has the possibility of bringing some winter weather along with it. And if you’re not used to or prepared for driving in winter weather, these road trips could wind up being some of the most stressful and dangerous experiences you have on the road.
Luckily, this doesn’t have to be the case. So to help you learn how to avoid the worst possible outcomes, here are three tips for preparing for a winter road trip in questionable weather.
Spend More Time Planning Your Trip
While all road trips are going to take a little bit of time to plan and prepare for, when winter driving is involved, you’ll likely want to spend a bit more time and energy putting the right road trip plan together.
In your preparations, consider things like which routes are going to be safest for you to be driving on if the weather turns bad, how much time you’ll need to add to your schedule so that you can get to where you need to be without putting yourself in too much of a time crunch, and when to get through certain towns or areas to avoid things like big winter storms or heavy traffic.
Properly Prep Your Vehicle
The vehicle that you choose to drive on your winter road trip can have a big impact on how safe you’ll be able to stay while on the road. If you don’t already have a vehicle that you feel safe in, you may want to rent one or consider upgrading to a new vehicle that’s more reliable.
As for how to prepare your car, you’ll want to make sure that the vehicle is in good working order and that the tires are well inflated and have good traction. You’ll also want to make sure you keep enough gas in your car and have an emergency kit in case you get stuck or slide off the road.
Practice Safe Driving Habits
The way in which you drive your vehicle will also help you to stay safe on the road in winter driving conditions. In general, if there’s anything you can do to keep yourself safe, you should do it.
In most situations, practicing safe winter driving habits will include things like slowing down, keeping more space between yourself and other cars, and not using cruise control. All of these things will give you the best chance of staying on the road and avoiding accidents with other vehicles.
If you’re going to be taking a winter road trip soon, consider using the tips mentioned above to help you stay safe in bad driving conditions.
