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Make a habit of buckling your seat belt as soon as you get into a vehicle. Do it often enough and it will become second nature.
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Build additional time into your trip in the winter and plan ahead for bad driving conditions. Anticipate. Prepare for worst-case scenarios.
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Guard against distractions. If something can wait until after you reach your destination, let it wait. Focus all of your attention on the complex task of driving.
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Maintain a safe distance between your vehicle and the one you’re following. In good driving conditions you should remain about three seconds behind – more if highway conditions warrant. That translates to about 95-100 feet on an interstate at 65 mph.
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Adjust your driving habits to highway and weather conditions. The posted speed limit is a maximum for ideal conditions. Poor weather and slick roads likely will require speeds slower than the posted limit. Speeding citations can, and are, issued for driving too fast for the prevailing conditions, even if you’re traveling less than the posted limit. The basic rule is to drive according to the conditions.
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Check your vehicle before driving. Make a cursory inspection by walking around your vehicle before getting in. Clear snow and ice from windshields, wiper blades, headlights and tail lights before driving.
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Inspect your vehicle for mechanical problems before bad weather arrives.
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Carry winter provisions in your vehicle, such as: tire and tow chains, blanket, drinking water, nutritious snacks, sand or cat litter for traction, flashlight… See a previous Transporter article for a more comprehensive list.
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Guard against over-confidence when driving four-wheel drive vehicles. They provide better traction while starting to drive, but are no better at stopping on slick highways than a two-wheel or front-wheel vehicle.
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High-profile vehicles, vans and sport utility vehicles, are more susceptible to rollovers than vehicles with a lower center of gravity. Extra caution is needed when driving SUVs, even those that have four-wheel or all-wheel drive trains.
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Drive as slowly as possible in extreme fog to allow time for stopping. Your speed multiplied by 1.5 is the distance in feet that you travel in a second. 30 mph multiplied by 1.5 equals 45 feet in one second.
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Even if a highway surface doesn’t appear to be slick, it can be. Black ice is a hidden threat that can have tragic consequences. Even if the ambient air temperature is slightly above freezing, the highway surface can be below freezing, causing slick conditions. Be especially careful on bridges and overpasses where highways are cooled from above and beneath.
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Watch for icy patches in shaded areas of the highway that don’t get much direct sunlight. They can be very slick even when the roadway on both sides is bare and dry.
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Slow down before entering a curve or corner, not after you’re already in one.
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Allow extra time to reach your destination in the winter. Let friends and families know your itinerary and anticipated route, then call when you arrive safely.
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Anticipate. Expect and prepare for bad highway and weather conditions. Check 511 on the Web (511.idaho.gov) or call 511 before leaving home during inclement weather.