Safe winter driving starts with a plan

You’re driving down the highway when the car hiccups. It hiccups again. Suddenly, though you’re depressing the accelerator further, the car is slowing. You turn the wheels to the right and coast through the slush until you come to a stop on the side of a quiet road in the country.

This is no time to start making an emergency list. The answer to emergencies is preparation; you need a plan. And any plan worth its salt starts with an emergency kit. This should include blankets, and cold-weather clothing, such as gloves, coat, dry socks, a scarf and, possibly, boots. You’ll also want to have a small snow shovel, a flashlight with fresh batteries, emergency reflectors and, maybe even, a few snacks to tide you over while waiting for help to arrive. You may also want to carry an insulted bottle of water.

Along with the shovel, you may want to keep a bag of kitty litter in the car. While the kitty litter may be useful for stray cats who make homes in your wheel wells it’s really for traction if you get stuck in the snow. A little kitty litter behind the tires might just give you the traction you need to drive your way out of the ditch or a rut.

You’ll want to check your spare tire and jack. It’s no fun discovering the spare is as flat as a tire on the car or that you have no way to raise the car to replace a flat tire. It’s also a good idea to carry a set of jumper cables. You’ll be someone else’s hero if you help someone jumpstart a stalled car. You’ll be your own hero if you need them and they’re in the trunk.

Possibly the most important item in your emergency kit, which you’ll probably keep in your pocket or purse, is your cell phone. Ask yourself, is the cell phone charged or do you have a D/C charger in the car? The only concern at that point is whether you have reception. Give this a little thought before choosing a carrier.

Finally, consider knowledge, yours and others, a vital tool in keeping you safe during winter driving. Start by going online or checking the radio or television to see what weather is expected. If a storm is blowing in, consider cancelling your trip or, at least take additional precautions. Additional precautions should include letting someone know where you’re going, when you expect to arrive and what route you plan to take. If someone knows to expect you and you don’t show up, even if you’re in a cell-phone dead zone, the cavalry will come around the bend as soon as someone surmises that you could be in trouble.

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