With the crazy weather hitting the country from coast to coast, it is important to be aware of some important winter driving tips. Winter driving means icy roads and snowy conditions and although it’s best to stay off the roads, most of us can’t avoid it because of work, school or other reasons.  Be very cautious in these conditions and make sure your car is prepped and know how to handle road conditions and hazards.

Here are some winter driving tips when driving in snowy or icy conditions:

• Get a tire with sufficient traction in the snow. Most tires that have at least 6/32-inch deep tread should perform safely in snowy and rainy conditions
• Make sure your tires are properly inflated. Under- or overinflated tires will not provide the optimal traction for treacherous road conditions.
• On hilly or inclined surfaces, make sure to use your low gears for better traction
• Do not use cruise control on any slippery surface
• Turn on your lights to increase visibility so you and the vehicles around you are noticeable
• Watch for black ice, also known as “glare ice” or “clear ice” which is usually a transparent or invisible coating of ice on roadways, overpasses and bridges.  It’s thin ice and looks similar to the color of the material below it.  Also looks like a road slick.
• Driving on icy or snowy conditions requires more stopping distance so make sure to reduce your speed during these weather situations. Be sure to increase your normal following distance (three – four seconds) to eight – ten seconds.
• When accelerating, do it slowly to avoid skidding by pressing the gas gently to gain traction
• Whether you have ABS (anti-lock) brakes or not, threshold braking is the best way to stop.  To do this, keep your heel of your foot on the floor and apply firm, steady pressure on the brake pedal using the ball of your foot.
• To recover from skidding, take your foot off the accelerator and slowly turn the vehicle in the direction the read-end is moving.  It’s common for your rear to fishtail. Just stay calm until it straightens. And if you need to, stop the vehicle and take a breath.

If you find your car isn’t up to winter driving it may be time to consider getting a new car. Most body styles are well discounted in January. December and January demonstrate the highest discounts available all year for convertibles, coupes, sedans, trucks, sport utility vehicles, and even minivans, averaging discounts of 6.6 percent across all body styles.

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Your Certificate lets the Certified Dealer know you’re an OpenRoad Lending Auto Buying Service member so be sure to bring it with you or have it ready to display on your mobile device to expedite the process and ensure you lock in the best possible price.

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