Winter Driving Safety Week starts in Pa. Jan. 21
Quite fittingly, after multiple days of snow struck Western Pennsylvania last week, the week of Sunday, Jan. 21 through Saturday, Jan. 27 serves as Winter Driving Safety Week.
Driving can be hard enough without the threat of winter weather. With snow or sleet in the mix, one of the most routine activities can become a matter of life and death, which is why PennDOT District 10 Community Traffic Safety Project coordinator Amy Shellhammer urges Pennsylvanians to stay extra vigilant during the winter.
This means motorists should make sure their vehicles are adequately prepared for the winter.
“Make sure you have your fluid levels are checked, you have good wiper blades, your heater and your defroster are working properly, your lights are working properly, and that you have sufficient tread depth on your tires,” Shellhammer said.
In case drivers do encounter a patch of ice on the roads, there is one piece of advice to consider: slow down.
“We always say, ‘Ice and snow, take it slow,’” Shellhammer said. “You want to take your foot off the gas. You never want to slam on the brakes. You want to try and tap your brakes lightly, and you want to turn your wheel in the direction of your skid.”
Another way to stay prepared is to keep a winter emergency preparedness kit handy. This would include a blanket, gloves, an ice scraper, bottled water, first aid supplies, and jumper cables.
To make things easier for others, Pennsylvania law requires that drivers clear all of the ice and snow off their vehicles before they set off.
“If a piece of ice or snow would come flying off your vehicle and cause an accident, you could get fined,” Shellhammer said. “It’s the law.”
Shellhammer also advises against “tailgating” closely behind other vehicles during winter weather conditions, and to stay at least six car lengths behind a snowplow if you are traveling behind one.
Of course, the most obvious way to stay safe on the roads in bad weather is to not drive unless absolutely necessary.
For those who have to drive in bad weather, a good way to stay ahead of it is the website 511pa.com, which provides information on traffic delays, local weather, traffic cameras, and snowplow locations. The website also has an associated mobile app.
