Winter Defensive Driving Checklist

Defensive driving in winter requires skills and adjustments that are different from those required for defensive driving at other times of the year. These skills and adjustments help to increase safety while driving a motor vehicle in adverse weather conditions in winter. For winter defensive driving a driver needs to identify necessary vehicle maintenance requirements.

The first step in the process is to make sure that the vehicle and all its systems are fully prepared to handle all the vagaries of winter. As they say 'prevention is better than cure' and hence in order to prevent any mishaps, the vehicle and all the equipments and accessories must be in very good working condition. It is not unusual to encounter life threatening circumstances in winter especially in cases where there is heavy snowfall and the weather conditions can change suddenly. The following is the winter defensive driving checklist:

1. The radiators must be filled with proper winter coolant. The coolant used in summer may freeze in extreme winter weather conditions and this can cause the engine to get overheated and blowout leaving the driver and passengers stranded in the snow. A leaking radiator can also lead to the same consequences. So it is necessary to make sure that the radiator is in good condition and there are absolutely no leaks.

2. The tires must have enough tread depth. It has been established beyond doubt that balding tires can reduce traction by as much as 30 - 50 %. Also the tires must be inflated to the proper pressure. The pressure in the tires reduces with reduction in atmospheric temperature and hence it is necessary to check tire pressure from time to time. Proper tire pressure reduces tire wear and ensures. good traction.

3. In order to have good visibility while driving in winter you need to have a good set of wipers to wipe off the snow and sleet from the windshield. Special winter wipers can be used if necessary. If new wipers have been installed then the pressure must be adjusted to ensure proper operation.