Winter Safety
Winter can be surprising. Below zero temperatures, wind, rain turning to ice, snow drifts, icy roads, closed roads. What’s one to do? The best you can. Be prepared. Check the weather before you take a trip. If there is a bad storm on its way you may want to hold off traveling. If you are traveling here are a few things to keep in mind.
Clothes
- Wear multiple layers of clothes. Layers can trap warm air between them. And if you get too warm, you can take off a layer.
- Wear proper footwear: waterproof, insulated boots with good traction.
- Winter gloves and a winter hat.
- When driving, you can have extra gear with you.
Fog, Ice and Snow
Fog is a special hazard. They are the most dangerous conditions you can encounter. It will make things hard to see. If you have to go out in the fog always have your light and fog lights on if you have fog lights. Always keep your lights at low beam, high beams will blind you. Slow your speed down. Remember, there will always be someone going slower in front of you and always someone gong faster coming up from behind. Nighttime will make foggy conditions worse. Know the lane you’re in and pay attention to the lines on the road to help you stay on the road. If it is freezing out, the fog can freeze making conditions icy and slick. If conditions are real bad, try to find a place you can pull off of and away from the road.
Foggy Memories
One morning driving out to Cheney it was so foggy I could see only about 10 feet in front of my truck. I could just make out the solid white line on the right side of the road. I didn’t know exactly where I was, but I didn’t think I had passed the Medical Lake exit yet. As I drove I noticed the white line break, I thought to myself that had to be the Medical Lake exit. I continued on thinking the next break in the white line should be the Four Lakes exit. I took the next white line break and sure enough it turned out to be Four Lakes.
Beware of ice. In the winter, it can be everywhere. Under snow, or in plain sight. Be careful walking, have warm traction boots, and take it slow. When driving, have snow tires with good tread. Drive slowly and give other vehicles three to four seconds or more distance. That means a stopping distance of three to four seconds at a reasonable speed. Turn slow and change lanes slowly. Stay off of ice-covered lakes and ponds. You don’t know how thick the ice is and you could fall in.
Icy Memories
I remember a time when It was very Icy out. When I left home it rained just a little, but the temperatures were in the 20s. Well I got to a small hill where cars could not get up. With four wheel drive and traction tires I could not proceed. So I stopped and then noticed that the cars were sliding back down the hill bumping into each other. I flipped a U-ey and went back home and weighted until they put deicer down. Sometimes the best course of action is to stay put.
Practice driving in the snow. Put your vehicle into a slight skid and practice correcting for the skid. If you do this, know your surroundings. Watch for light poles, and curbs. It is best to do this in areas without cars and people. An area like Lot 12 could work.
Hills can be tricky in the snow. You don’t want to stop while you’re on a hill, because slick conditions can lead to you sliding one way or another. You also don’t want to go too quickly; you might lose traction on your way up the hill if you hit the gas, and you don’t know what conditions await on the downslope. If you can, stay off of hills. If you do get into a skid stay in your vehicle. Do not jump out of a moving vehicle. If you’re in a pile up, look around before you ever get out of the car. You could get hit by another vehicle. If you have to get out get away from the wreckage, incase another car slams into the pile up.
Sad Memories
I remember a wreck that happened on the sunset bridge. I was slick out and there was a pile up on the bridge. One of the accidents involved a large truck that was then hit by a Volkswagen. At one point the Volkswagen driver saw a STA buss sliding toward his car and it was going to hit. The driver panicked, got out of the car and jumped over the side of the bridge to get out of the way. Unfortunately, the bridge is 200 feet off of the ground and he was killed. Damage to the Volkswagen was minor and he would have lived had he stayed in the car.
Your vehicle
Make sure it is winterized. Coolant is good for the temperature encountered. Make sure oil is good and tire pressure is good. In your vehicle, you can carry more gear to keep you warm and help you out. Sleeping bag, extra warm clothes, water, snack, shovel, phone charger (may not have service). Always let someone know where you will be. Rural Roads: If it was a good road in the summer, it may not be used in the winter, so stay off.
Memory Lane:
I remember a news item one winter when the it was 40 below zero with the wind chill. A news crew was driving around looking for stories and saw a man walking down an empty road. They drove down and asked him for his story. That’s when they found out his car had slid off the road. He waited in his car for a couple of hours for help before he ran out of gas. At that point he had to walk. Well, he was dressed in a t-shirt, windbreaker, blue jeans, and tennis shoes with socks for gloves. You could hardly understand him. He had been walking for 15 minutes. The news crew got him just in time otherwise he would have frozen to death.
So, when you go out driving in the winter check the weather. Let people know where you will be. Make sure your vehicle is ready for winter. Make sure you are ready. Be safe.
