Are you prepared for maximum visibility while driving this Wonder Lake winter?

Visibility while driving is critical to

safely arriving at your destination,
and all the more so when winter
comes to Wonder Lake. This
driver has failed the test of
ensuring he can see where he's
going.

If someone suggested that you get in your car and pull out of your Wonder Lake driveway to go for a ride with your eyes closed, what would you say to them?

The logical response is that their idea is nuts. You’d be lucky to go 30 feet without running into something. The point of this rather absurd question is to point out how important visibility is while you drive. And nothing will challenge your visibility more than the coming Wonder Lake winter.

Winter can interfere with your ability to see sufficiently while driving for several reasons.

Winter drops things on your windows and windshield – things called snow, sleet and freezing rain
Cold temperatures can cause frost to form on your windows and windshield
Tires on other vehicles can kick up a mix of moisture and roadsalt that can form a nasty layer all over your car, including the windows and windshield.
Days are shorter in winter and you’re liable to spend more time driving in the dark

What should you do to give your vision the best chances to see thoroughly while driving?

There are things you can do now to prepare for the inevitable attack of winter on your visibility.

You can pickup a good snowbrush and ice scrapper. The ability to clear your windows, windshield and mirrors before you start driving is essential. We’ve all seen the peeping-winter drivers. You know the type; they’ve cleared an area about 10-inches X 4-inches in front of the drivers seat and they’ve proceeded into traffic as though that’s all they need.

Of course, that’s not you. But that’s not the standard you want to start from. You want to do a good job of cleaning the windows and windshield. In fact, if there’s snow piled up on the car, you’ll want to clear it away so it won’t blow onto the windshield, or over the rear window, while you drive.

You want to make sure your heater provides heat and that the fan will blow the air up into the windshield so you can defrost any frost that forms on the windshield. And if you have an electric defroster in the rear window, you’ll want to make sure that works, too.

You want to make sure you have good wiper blades that won’t leave annoying streaks on the glass. And you want to make sure you can spritz some washer solvent onto the windshield when you need it.

Finally, you don’t want to forget your lights. You want headlights that work properly and are aimed properly. If you’ve covered all the other bases but your headlights don’t work, what’s the point?

You also want all your signal lights to work. When this Wonder Lake winter arrives, it’s great that you’ll have the maximum visibility. But you want to help other drivers see you and to understand your intentions, too.

Comments

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