How to drive safely when the snow begins to fall

It’s that time of the year. The time when you never know when the snow will begin to fall. As exciting as it may be, especially if you enjoy the great outdoors, it can also pose a problem when you get behind the wheel.

It doesn’t matter if you’re driving on dry roads or in heavy snow, it’s always your goal to reach your destination without incident. Here are five tips that will improve your chance of doing so:

• Avoid fast accelerations and hard decelerations: Both of these things improve the likelihood of losing traction, thus causing an accident.
• Slow down: Forget about the speed limit and drive at a pace you consider safe for the road conditions.
• Add more following distance: Snow can make it more difficult to stop your vehicle. Keep a minimum of eight seconds of following distance between other vehicles.
• Don’t stop on slopes: Avoid stopping when driving up a snowy hill. If you lose momentum, it may be difficult to get going again.
• Don’t leave home: It may alter your plans, but if the snow is too heavy, you should stay at home until conditions improve.

It’s a challenge to drive safely in heavy snow, but there are tips you can follow to feel better about the road ahead and your ability to avoid trouble.

If you’re part of a winter weather car accident, maybe because another driver doesn’t take enough caution, move to safety and call for immediate help. Once you receive treatment, you can then contact your insurance company, learn more about the accident and take key steps to hold the negligent driver responsible for their actions.