Staying safe on the road during winter weather

JACKSON, Tenn. — With the drop in temperatures comes important winter weather tips to keep you safe on the roads.

Before getting behind the wheel, make sure that your car is winter weather ready. Rita Jones with Old Hickory Car Care says there are a few things to check.

“You have snow or ice on your wiper blade and you go out to crank your car and turn them on, it may tear up something on your wiper system,” Jones said. “Second thing would be to make sure you have a good, strong battery. Winter weather tends to drain a weak battery.”

Jones says another important thing to have checked is the tread on your tires.

“If your tires are almost worn out and you get out on wet pavement or ice and snow like we just had, it doesn’t have the traction that you need to get where you are going, you can slide off the road easily or hydroplane.”

Along with making sure your car is tuned up and ready to go, Stephanie Milani with AAA says it is important to keep a winter go-bag in your car for emergencies.

“Have a flashlight with extra batteries, flares or reflective triangles in case you do break down,” Milani said. “You need to alert other motorists that you are over on the side of the road. You also want a set of jumper cables.”

She says in case you are stranded for long periods of time, it is always best to make sure you have food and something to keep you warm.

Milani says during winter weather, it is best to stay home. But if you do have to get out, driving slow is the best way to get to your destination safely.

“You definitely want to be going way below the speed limit,” Milani said. “You also want to increase your following distance to eight to 10 seconds. This increases the margin of safety and will give you a longer distance needed to stop.”

If you are having car trouble, Milani says the best thing to do is call for help and stay in your car until someone can get there.

For more local news, click here.