The dawn of the New Year has brought Winter to Chicago and with it snow, ice, sleet, cold, and winter driving. Now ideally, no one would leave their home from now until June (just in time for my birthday), but the reality is that sometimes, we have to leave the house to run crazy errands like get to work, take the kids to school, and get groceries. Unless you live within walking or public transportation distance of all of these things, you find yourself in a car during Winter at some point.

Winter Driving is fundamentally different from Summer Driving. The roads are regularly wet; black ice is a threat; snow, sleet, and wind can be blinding; your car needs different care; and you must change the way you drive to avoid spinouts, accidents, breakdowns, and running off the road.

I learned to drive during the Chicago Winter of 1987. Part of my education included my mom specifically putting me into situations with black ice in empty parking lots and in a cul-du-sac in our neighborhood. She also made me get out on the main roads and learn about keeping proper distance and maintaining safe speeds in inclement weather. We took things slowly, but she didn’t shy away from putting me in these situations. Her philosophy was that it was better for me to learn with her in the car in a pretty safe environment, than for me to have to learn later on my own when mistakes could be deadly.

Frankly, I thought everyone learned how to drive this way. And every single Winter, I’m reminded just how many Chicagoans have no idea that Winter Driving is a whole new ball game. A few years ago, on Little Merry Sunshine 1.0, I blogged about Winter Driving on a number of occasions, which you can read at Little Merry Sunshine’s Rules of the Road, Little Merry Sunshine’s Blizzard Driving Tips, and LMS’s Winter Driving Tips Revisited.

At the risk of repeating myself and because I had the pleasure of being out on the roads last night, during the snowfall, it’s time to update my tips. Of course, my Winter Driving Rules do not replace the actual State of Illinois 2014 Rules of the Road. Read them and know them. For your convenience, I’ve categorized my Winter Driving Rules.

Car Maintenance

1. Keep all of your fluids topped off. Winter is no time to run out of windshield washer fluid. Keep yours full and keep an extra gallon of it in your trunk.
2. Make sure that all of your lights are working. It takes two seconds to confirm that your brake lights, , emergency blinkers, turn signals, back-up lights, and headlights are all working. Doing this with a buddy speeds up the two second process. Get burned out lights fixed.
3. Invest in winter wiper blades. I don’t know how they magically work to keep your windshield cleaner, but they do. They’re a little more expensive than regular blades, but being able to see on the road is priceless. Every car repair shop has them.
4. Keep your gas tank at least half full. Traffic jams happen and the last thing you want is to run out of gas in the midst of one. I like to keep my tank three-quarters full in the winter, but that’s my preference.
5. Park your car in a garage. I understand that not everyone has this luxury, but if you do, take advantage of it. It will save you time scraping the snow off your car, digging yourself out after the plows come through, warming it up, and will prevent others from carelessly ramming into your car parked safely in the lot or on the street.
6. Invest in winter tires. Yes, this is a serious investment, but they make an enormous difference by giving you far better traction in wet and icy conditions. If you remove them in the summer, you’ll be able to get at least a couple of winters out of them. You’ll extend the life of your regular tires, as well.
7. Before Winter arrives, have all the routine maintenance done and check any funky noises in your car. Really, the reasons for this should be obvious.
8. Invest in some inexpensive tools that will make parking outside less painful.
   1. A windshield cover is a must. This is the one that I have. I love it. It keeps my front windshield and side mirror free from snow and ice. Sure, I have to brush the snow off the cover, but once I remove the cover, my windshield and mirrors are 100% clean.
   2. A couple of good snow and ice scrapers. I primarily use the SNOBRuM because it doesn’t scratch the paint on my car. I also have other scrapers that are good at getting the ice off my windows and windshield.
   3. Get a shovel and some cat litter to keep in your trunk. Any brand will do. The shovel is obviously to dig you out when you’ve been plowed in and the cat litter not only adds weight to the rear of your car, but also can be spread out on ice or snow to help you gain traction when you’re stuck.
9. Let your car properly warm up. It doesn’t take 20 minutes to do this. It takes less than five minutes. I like to do this while I . . .
10. Properly remove snow from my car. A car that’s warming up helps melt the ice, making it easier to scrape. Two birds, one stone. Scrape off not only your windows and windshields, but also your hood, trunk, roof, and all lights. I know some people use their wipers to clear snow from their front and back windshields, but this is a horrible idea. It tears up your wipers and doesn’t clear the entire windshield, thus reducing your visibility. Yes, it takes time to remove snow from your hood, roof, trunk, and lights, but if you’ve ever been behind a car with 6 inches of snow on its roof when all that snow blows off and lands on your windshield blinding you, you know what a danger this is for other drivers. Clearing all of your lights not only makes it easier for you to see what’s ahead, but makes it easier for others to see you.
11. Confirm that your spare tire is inflated and know how to change a tire. Here’s a great video from Saab on how to change a tire. If you have to change a tire, remember that your spare tire is just that and you’ll still need to get a real new tire as soon as possible.

Personal safety in your car

1. Carry your fully-charged cell phone with you and invest in a car charger to keep it fully charged. When I’m driving anywhere of any significant distance in the Winter, my phone is on the charger.
2. Don’t text and drive or talk on your phone unless you’re using a hands-free device. For one, it’s illegal in Illinois to do either of these things 24/7/365. For another, blue tooth devices are pretty cheap these days. You never know when you’ll need your phone, so use it safely. Obviously, you’ll need to keep your hands-free device fully charged, but you can also get car chargers for them.
3. Carry an emergency bag. Mine is packed with my sleeping bag; hand and foot warmers; extra socks, gloves, and hats; a few bottles of water, some snacks, paper towels, an actual towel, flashlight, and a first aid kit. You could also have glow-in-the-dark signs requesting help or other.
4. Carry jumper cables and know how to use them. Here’s a great video in case you don’t know how to use them.
5. Dress appropriately for winter. This sounds silly, but if you break down in your car in a blizzard, you really don’t want to be wearing flip flops.
6. Wear your seatbelt and confirm that your kids are properly buckled in. It’s the law.

Driving Rules

1. Turn on your headlights. Yes, it may be the middle of the afternoon on a kinda cloudy day and you can see just fine. Your headlights help others see you though. Through my completely scientific research of driving around Chicago, it seems that the most popular car color is in the gray and silver category. On gray days, your car becomes the same color as the weather. Turning on your headlights lets others know you’re there.
2. Using your wipers? Illinois law requires your headlights to be on. This seems like it’s a no-brainer, but obviously so few people do this, Illinois had to codify it.
3. Leave extra space between you and the car in front of you. It takes longer to stop on wet and icy roads. Plus, tailgating even in good weather is just a jerk move.
4. Use your turn signals and turn them off when you’re done. Believe it or not, turn signals are not decorative. They serve a purpose in letting other drivers know what you’re about to do. Use them when you’re exiting the highway, entering the highway, turning a corner, and changing lanes. Seriously, this isn’t complicated. It’s also the law.
5. Slow down. The roads are deceptive and Winter Driving requires you to anticipate these optical illusions. Black ice is a very real danger and unless you are a professional race car driver (you’re not, trust me), you will have great difficulties controlling your car at high speeds. I’m not saying that you must always drive like your grandmother, but I am saying that you need to adjust your style as conditions warrant. I will spare you stories of the dangerous drivers I shared the road with last night. Just trust me.
6. Use the appropriate lane. This is a rule that applies all year long. Slower drivers should stay to the right.
7. Don’t be afraid to use your blinkers. If you are driving particularly slowly, turn on your emergency blinkers to let other drivers know and stay as far to the right as possible.
8. Use an app like Waze. I discovered this app recently when I was stuck in horrendous traffic because of a car accident ahead of me. What I like about Waze is that it has real-time road conditions provided by other people using the app (“Wazers”). This allows it to change your route appropriately. Just make sure you plug in your destination before leaving home because it won’t let you do it while you’re driving. I also like it’s mapping service better than other apps.
9. Let people know where you’re going. I’m not suggesting you go back to being 16 and telling your mom of your whereabouts 24/7, but especially if you’re going to be traveling somewhere off your regularly-beaten-pather, letting someone know can save your life. If you need help, but can’t communicate on your own, this will make it easier to find you.
10. Know how to drive on black ice and respond when your car begins to skid. Having these skills could save your life. Read these instructions for driving on black ice and instructions for getting out of a skid.

Breakdowns & Accidents – If you’ve followed all of my tips above, you’ll hopefully not have a breakdown or an accident, but if you do, I’ve got you covered.

1. If possible, pull off to the side of the road. This will hopefully prevent others from hitting you and will keep everyone on the road safer.
2. No matter what, turn on your emergency hazard lights. Duh.
3. Call 911. This will start the process of getting help to you. You’ll need some basic information including your location and what happened. Keep in mind that all calls to 911 are triaged and prioritized. This means that depending on your situation and how many other calls there are to 911, you may be waiting awhile. Accidents with injuries and that are blocking the road take priority. If you’re sitting on the side of the road with a flat tire, be prepared to wait. This is why I always recommend having . . .
4. Membership in AAA or other emergency roadside assistance club. Do not call AAA if you’ve been in an accident. Call them if you’ve got a flat, you run out of gas, or if your car won’t start, etc. Sure, it’s $100 a year or so to join, but when you need them, it’s the best deal around.
5. Always stay with your car. Seriously, I can’t think of a reason why you should ever get out of your car and walk for help in winter driving conditions. If you do need to get out of your car . . .
6. Get out of your car on the side that is away from traffic. If you’re stranded for any length of time, you’ll want to get out and remove snow from your tailpipe so you don’t die of carbon monoxide poisoning. You may also want to remove snow from your windows occasionally. Do this on the far side of your car, away from traffic for your own safety.
7. If you can, run the engine occasionally for warmth, but keep a window open a little and keep the tailpipe free of snow. We discussed how and why above.

Bottom line: Use common sense and don’t be a jackass.

Follow my rules for the road and you’ll be safe driving this Winter.

Note: I’ve included links to products and services I like. I do not, however, receive any sort of benefit for mentioning them in my blog nor do I receive any benefit should you click on the links or purchase the products or services.

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