It’s truly amazing to see people who try to drive in hazardous weather as if it’s sunny and seventy degrees outside. It truly is incredible to witness just how reckless some people can be on the roads, especially when the weather is horrible. It’s amazing how quickly you can lose control of your vehicle when the roads are pristine never mind when they’re about the same as driving across a frozen lake with a foot of snow on top of it.
For anyone who’s somehow forgotten about how to properly drive in weather like today’s, or maybe you just need a refresher course, here’s some good winter driving tips that will not only keep you safer out on the roads but will also keep your Connecticut auto insurance low as well.
Now we all know (our should know, you live in New England for Pete’s sake!) the basic winter driving techniques of reducing your speed, allowing for plenty of room to come to a complete stop at intersections, make easy and gradual turns and as always, have your headlights on. But what many of us fail to remember is the correct distance in which follow vehicles in front of us, especially when the weather is bad- like today.
We all know we’re guilty of ‘tailgating,’ but we need to be extra careful when driving in hazardous winter weather to leave as much space as possible between us and the vehicle in front of us. The more distance you give, the better your chances are to come to a complete, in-control stop if you are faced with a situation that requires it. Think of it this way: the recommended distance to follow another vehicle under normal driving conditions is around two to three seconds, meaning that it would take you two to three seconds to pass a landmark that had previously been passed by the car in front of you. This time- distance needs to be increased if you’re following a larger vehicle, say a commercial 18-wheeler or tanker truck, to about 5-7 seconds.
So hopefully everyone out on the roads are using their common sense and driving with extra caution as this storm still sends snow from the heavens. But it never fails that there’s at least one person out there that thinks its the Daytona 500. Make sure to watch out for people like this, and if you’re driving with caution, you’ll have a much easier time avoiding these reckless drivers and an accident all together. Your family will thank you, your vehicle will thank you, and your Connecticut auto insurance provider will thank you as well!