Winter car tips to get you there safely

Do you live where it's cold out for a good part of the year? Well, here are some tips to help you get through the cold, and get there in one piece.

1. Clear off all the snow - Some of these will be pretty obvious but cleaning off any accumulated snow from your vehicle will not only improve visibility for yourself but will prevent it from flying off your vehicle onto the guy behind you. If you don't have a garage to park in at night and you live where it snows a lot, invest in a snow broom HERE you'll thank me later, before cleaning cars for a living at the local dealership I did not know these existed! Now I will always keep one in my trunk.

2. Be prepared - Sometimes the worst things happen and usually not at a convenient moment when you're ready to deal with them. But that day the deer pops out of nowhere and strands you on the side of the road is the day you wish you had a blanket and a phone charger in your trunk. I wrote another post about this with more detail you can find it HERE.

3. Common things to avoid - Try not to drive at night, avoid rush hour, also do not drink and drive even if you think you're in control.

4. Be extra cautious - Drive a little slower, slow down a little sooner, don't slam on your brakes as you can skid out of control, and don't speed up to fast. I like to test road conditions when safe to do just to see how quickly I can stop and when I slide, this builds my muscle memory and helps me to understand my limits so if I do have to stop quickly I don't have to think about it I just know.

Bonus tip - Check your tire pressure! Any time of the year, this is important, but especially in winter, as your tires are the most important factor in traction and helping you stop. For further reading, I recommend this article by Bridgestone with more tips and great information HERE.

Also, check back next week for another great article from me! And remember if you need a vehicle it would honor me to serve you, get in touch with me through my website at http://www.justinreto.com/contact-me