This winter in Rochester has already been cold and icy, and the weather isn’t likely to change any time soon. The upcoming week is likely to create more freezing rain, snow, and ice, making driving conditions unsafe. While most drivers in Rochester are fairly well-equipped to deal with difficult winter driving, keep these tips in mind while you’re on the road in the coming days and weeks.
Limit Distractions
Distracted driving is universally dangerous, but it’s especially risky when road conditions are already poor. Try to limit distractions on the road as much as possible by keeping music at a reasonable volume, avoid engaging in other activities while driving, and turning your phone off or putting it out of sight. Phone use while driving is unfortunately incredibly common and is one of the main sources of distracted driving. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, 481,000 drivers are using cell phones while driving. If you need to use your phone for directions, have your GPS set up before you start driving and ideally try to have a passenger in charge of managing navigation.
Give Space For Larger Vehicles
Traffic is common in wintry driving conditions, especially on main highways or normally busy roads. Even when traffic is bumper-to-bumper, try to give larger vehicles a bit of extra space on the road. The larger the vehicle, the heavier it likely is, and heavier vehicles take longer to stop. A semi-truck can be about 25 times larger than a passenger vehicle. While your breaks might function perfectly well, a semi-truck in front of or behind you might need more space to stop than you do. If you see a larger vehicle near you on the road while under bad driving conditions, try to leave a bit more space to protect both you and the other driver.
Be Mindful When Parking
Finding ideal parking is always a challenge, especially in center-city. However, look for parking spaces that are sheltered with a quality roof as much as possible. Parking in a sheltered space not only saves you the trouble of having to scrape off your windshield, but it also can protect your car from potential hail damage that may take between one and three days to repair. If you do plan on parking on the street, pay attention to which side of the road you park on. Certain areas of Rochester require you to park on a different side of the road depending on the day, in order to allow for snowplows to clear the streets. Make sure to put your windshield wipers up after parking when snow or freezing rain is in the forecast; this prevents damage due to ice and snow buildup.
Rochester winters can be incredibly harsh. With more freezing rain and snow likely in the coming days and weeks, pay attention to the forecast and shift your driving habits to match. Driving safely in winter conditions will help protect you as well as other drivers on the road.
