DefensiveDriving.com Holiday Safety Tips

As winter approaches, we at DefensiveDriving.com know this is the busiest time of the year for driving and travel. We also know that due to the changes in weather it can also be the deadliest.With our State Approved Defensive Driving course online , you can be safe. DefensiveDriving.com is designed to make sure you don’t end up a road hassle, or even worse end up with your holiday budget on ice thanks to unexpected dangers. Here are a few Driver Safety tips with dealing with holiday weather.

1-Drive slowly and carefully. No matter how much preparation and experience you might have, the way your car will move on snow or ice always has a big element of unpredictability. Anticipate turns and stops so you can approach them gently. Do not accelerate into turns.

2-Look ahead and keep a very safe distance from the vehicles in front of you. Keep scanning the vehicles in front of you and look out for brake lights. If you’ve kept your distance you should be able to bring your vehicle to a stop with distance to spare, instead of having to slam on your brakes and sliding into the vehicles in front of you.

3-When stopping plan well in advance, apply the brakes gently, and slowly add pressure rather than fast sudden braking.Intersections are often extremely icy so do not rely on being able to come to a stop in your normal bare pavement zone. If your car is equipped with anti-lock brakes, the best thing you can do to stop the car quickly is to apply firm constant pressure to the brake pedal. The ABS system will maintain traction, and you will be able to steer the car during braking. If your car doesn’t have anti-lock brakes and the wheels do lock, release the brake and re-apply gently. Usually, repeatedly tapping the brakes has good results. Do not try to steer a car not equipped with ABS if your wheels are locked or close to locking. If there is an obstacle in your path and a collision is imminent, it is best to release the brakes to unlock the front wheels and steer around the obstacle with no gas pedal applied.