Summer is already gone. Its time to start preparing yourself, your teen, and your car for winter driving.

 Start with your vehicle. The following checklist can help to ensure it is ready to go. 

1. Tires:  Your tires are the most important safety feature for winter driving. Check the tread and also the tire pressure to make sure you will have proper traction on wet and/or icy roads.

 2. Shocks: Bad shocks will cause your tires to bounce and loose contact with the road. Even good, properly inflated tires will not perform well if they cannot maintain contact with the road. Have your shocks inspected for proper function.

 3.  Windshield Wipers and Wiper Fluid.  Change your wiper blades, and check and add fluid if necessary. If you live in a cold area make sure to use wiper fluid that will not freeze. It is difficult to be a safe driver if you cannot see.

 4. Battery:  Your engine requires more power to start when it is cold outside. Make sure your battery is good, and the terminals are clean so you don't get stranded in the cold.

 5. Engine Coolant:  Your engine coolant not only prevents overheating in hot weather, but it prevents the engine block from freezing when not running during extreme cold. Have the coolant checked to make sure it has the proper mixture and is still in good condition. Replace it if necessary.

 6. Regular Maintenance:  Just because it is cold outside, don't forget to keep up on all the regular maintenance to keep your car running strong. (oil changes, brakes etc.) Winter is no time to be broken down at the side of the road.

If you do break down the following is a list of things that may be useful to you to have in the car: 

• Flashlights with extra batteries
• First aid kit with a pocket knife
• At least one blanket
• Extra set of mittens, socks and a wool cap
• Small sack of sand or cat litter for generating traction under the wheels
• A small shovel
• Bottled water
• Booster cables or booster box
• Canned fruit, nuts and a non-electric can opener
• Road Flares, or triangles

 Prepare Yourself for Winter Driving.

Remember that in the winter you may have reduced traction, and reduced visibility. These two things mean that you need more time to react to adverse situations. Leave more space between you and the vehicles around you in order to give yourself more time. At least a four second following distance is advised in rainy weather. In snow or ice it should be at least 6-10 seconds, and in fog do not drive at a speed that makes it impossible for you to stop within the distance that you can see. Always prepare for stops earlier, and be more gentle on the gas, steering and brakes than during dry conditions.

 Prepare Your New Teen Driver for Winter Driving.

If your new teen driver has never driven in bad weather, do not leave it up to them to learn by trial and error. The results of this could be deadly. Drive with them for the first few bad weather episodes. Teach them to brake early, to take turns more slowly, and to use the gas more gradually than during good weather. Discuss with them the rules for keeping more space around the vehicle and to practice following distances that are appropriate for the conditions. Make sure that they are familiar with how to use the windshield wipers and defroster. Help them to go through the vehicle checklist too. This will prepare them for doing this when they are on their own in the future. If they still have access to their driver education materials, now might be a good time for them to review the chapters on driving in bad weather. And, last but not least, if there is a wide open area near you, take them there to practice driving in adverse conditions. Have them experience what it feels like to loose traction, and how to correct this when it happens. If doing this make sure that there is no possibilty of crashing into an object such as a light post or parking block, or other cars of course.

Good Luck,

Happy Winter Driving