Every year, as the days get shorter and nights get darker, car crashes increase and roadside emergencies become more common. Prepare your vehicle for cold weather driving before winter hits – there’s nothing worse than having a breakdown in the freezing cold!
Make your vehicle safer to drive
If you live in an area that gets lots of snow, or where the snow sticks around for more than a day or two, it’s a great idea to get snow tires for your vehicle.
Check all of your turn signals, brake lights, and headlights to make sure you can see, and you can be seen as good as you can be.
Fill up your windshield washer fluid with a cold-weather version that won’t freeze so that you can clear sand and road salt grime from your windshield in any temperature.
Rain-X De-Icer Windshield Washer Fluid
Walmart.caYou can find de-icer at any local hardware store, or you can buy it online.
Rain-X windshield washer is formulated for improved bad winter weather visibility, providing exceptional de-icing performance that melts snow, ice and frost fast when driving in cold and freezing conditions.
Check and consider replacing your windshield wipers so that you don’t have to squint through streaks and smears.
Michelin Stealth Windshield Wipers
Amazon.caThese wipers from Michelin do a great job of staying in contact with your windshield while wiping away streak free. If you live near a Costco, you can get them there, or you can get them shipped to your door for a few dollars more.
Get un-stuck in the snow
If you get stuck or end up off the road, having a little shovel in your vehicle can be all it takes to clear a pathway back to the road. Of course, if you’re too stuck, you’ll need to wait for a rescue so you’ll want to make sure you’re prepared for waiting.
Folding Emergency Shovel 2-pack
Amazon.caThese compact, lightweight shovels are on sale at your local Costco, or available online through Amazon Canada
Have some gloves in your car to put on as you go out to shovel or put on tire chains.
Wells Lamont Insulated Leather Work Gloves
Amazon.caInsulated work gloves for shoveling or putting on snow chains.
And be prepared to wait for a rescue
Load up your car with some essentials to keep you alive in the midst of a blizzard or other unplanned disaster.
In winter, it’s important to have supplies with you in your car to stay warm. Keep an old blanket, or an emergency foil blanket if you want the little-ist option, in your car. Also a couple of small candles or tealights and some matches can make the difference between just being cold and freezing to death.
Put a few bottles of water and some granola bars in there too so you have some food.
A flashlight (with charged batteries!) is also a great thing to have on hand, because it’s often night time when trouble happens.
Treksafe Premium Winter Safety Kit
Amazon.caBe prepared when driving in the harsh winter conditions this year.