There are four main causes of auto body damage, including: negligence, fender benders, high speed collisions, and adverse weather conditions. Hurricanes often spawn tornadoes. For example, Hurricane Andrew (1992) spawned 62 tornadoes. Fortunately, Rochester doesn’t have to deal with tornadoes or hurricanes, which can come with wind speeds of over 160 miles per hour. Unfortunately, Rochester does have to deal with brutal, brutal, brutal winters.

Even more unfortunately, winter is just around the corner in the ROC. So it’s time to refresh your brain and mentally prepare yourself for safe driving once the snow and ice starts falling.

Here are some winter driving tips that Rochester residents can implement to safely get around this winter:

  • Drive slower — It sounds obvious, but far too many people still drive way too fast when the roads are snowy and icy. We’ve all been on 490 and have been passed by a car or truck with manual transmission, which are outnumbered by automatic transmission vehicles 0 to 1, going way too fast, only to catch up and see that they spun off the highway later on. Don’t make that mistake no matter how powerful your vehicle is. Slow down and stay safe.”Drivers frequently underestimate how long it can take to break,” said Debbie Hersman, president and CEO of the National Safety Council. “You want to increase that time in order to stay in control. Don’t use cruise control, and if you’re sliding, definitely slow down.”
  • Don’t just slam on your breaks — Though slamming on your breaks might sound like a good idea in order to avoid a snowy roadway collision, it’s not always the best choice. Winter driving experts recommend that you try to keep a steady pace when rolling into turns, or if you’re attempting to stop, or go up and down hills in order to get enough momentum. Slamming on your breaks can result in your vehicle spinning out of control, causing even more danger and damage.
  • Clear off your exhaust — During ice and snow storms, it’s essential that you’re checking and cleaning off your exhaust before you get behind the wheel. Forgetting to check your car’s exhaust pipe could be a fatal mistake. If your exhaust pipe gets clogged with ice, snow, or other roadway debris, you could end up filling your car with carbon monoxide, which is odorless and deadly.
  • Keep your headlights clean and visible — In order to promote visibility, for both yourself and other drivers, you need to make sure your headlights and clean and functioning properly.”Headlights are a basic but important crash avoidance feature, and that’s why we’ve added headlight performance to our ratings system,” added Russ Rader, senior vice president of communications at the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS). “Half of fatalities in crashes occur at night, or at dusk or dawn, so there’s a significant opportunity to reduce crashes if we can help drivers see trouble sooner. Our ratings are giving auto manufacturers some guidelines on making their headlights better.”

Driving safe is one thing, but you need to also make sure that every vehicle you and your family have are fully prepared for the cold weather and horrific driving conditions.

Here are some additional tips for actually preparing your car for the brutal winter weather that will surely hit Rochester in the near future:

  • Inspect your tire pressure and tread depth — Though safe driving practices need to be performed, having good tires are integral for safely getting through the winter in Rochester. Make sure your tire pressure is at the correct level, which you can find in your owner’s manual. Most local gas stations offer free tire air fill-ups.
  • Keep a winter supply box inside your car — It’s important to have a box full of winter supplies inside your vehicle just in case something goes wrong. Traveling in snow on a cold day is dangerous in itself, but if your vehicle breaks down in the middle of nowhere, it’s important to have the following essential items: flashlight, first-aid kit, two or three blankets, road flares, a change of warm clothes, a few pairs of gloves, a radio, a fully charged cell phone, a bag of sand for traction, multiple ice scrapers, and high-energy snacks like peanuts or almonds.
  • Inspect your engine’s coolant and antifreeze levels — Antifreeze keeps your engine from freezing during those extremely low temperatures. Without it, your engine will be essentially worthless. Most auto shops have kits for effectively checking your engine coolant levels, as well.

Don’t panic once the winter snow starts falling and covering Rochester’s roads. Make sure your vehicle is ready to go, drive slow and safe, and you should be fine. Good luck, Rochester!