Spring Driving Safety Tips
Yippee! Winter is winding down and we wind our clocks ahead an hour this weekend. Longer days and warming spring weather puts more drivers on the road. Be careful and stay safe out there. Avoid accident claims and keep your auto insurance premiums low with these spring driving safety tips.
- Melting snow creates a number of hazards. The shoulders of roadways are often mushier than when they’re fully frozen or dried out. If you have to pull off the roadway, keep that in mind. You won’t have as much traction when you return to the road and that can affect acceleration.
- The spring melt will also uncover all the uncollected road rubbish that’s been hiding under the snow. Keep your eyes peeled.
- Warmer weather in the day melts ice and snow, but when the sun goes down, it refreezes and forms patches of black ice. Be especially careful on curves where roads are banked and water runs across the entire width of the roadway.
- All that melting and refreezing has wrecked havoc on city streets and highways, creating the potholes that plagues America’s roads.
- Spring rains bring their own driving hazards. The rain lifts oil from the roads and leaves a slick layer on the surface that can cause you to hydroplane and skid. Now is a good time to get a fresh set of windshield wiper blades, too.
- Deer, moose and other wildlife are active during spring. Be especially watchful during dawn and dusk hours.
- Warmer weather brings out construction crews, motorcyclists and bicyclists. Watch out for them and slow down when you see them.
- Don’t be too quick to swap out your winter tires. Summer and all-season tires don’t have as much grip when temperatures fall below 46 degrees F. Wait another month until frosty temperatures are past.
- If you’re driving on rural roads, be aware than maintenance crews often treat them with sand instead of salt. When the snow melts, those little grains of sand become like ball bearings, reducing your traction, brake time and overall control.
Remember those spring driving safety tips and you are on your way. If you need auto insurance, please go to EINSURANCE.com.
