Take On Winter Driving With These Helpful Tips! | Albany, NY

Nov 16, 2023

Thanksgiving is just days away and if you’re hitting the road this week or next, we can confidently say that you won’t be the only one! We have been lucky enough to not have a lot of snow yet, but depending on where you’re driving you might find yourself running into some. If it’s been a year since you had to deal with snow it might be a good idea to brush up on your winter driving skills. Your friends here at Destination Nissan have put together some helpful tips for driving in the winter, long-distance driving, and even winter maintenance! If you haven’t serviced your vehicle yet, be sure to stop into Destination Nissan and our team of professionals can get your vehicle back into tip-top shape in no time!

Tips For Driving In The Snow:

Keep your gas tank at least half full to avoid gas line freeze-up.
If possible, avoid using your parking brake in cold, rainy and snowy weather.
Accelerate and decelerate slowly. Applying the gas slowly to accelerate is the best method for gaining traction and avoiding skids.
Drive slowly. Everything takes longer on snow-covered roads. Accelerating, stopping, turning – nothing happens as quickly as on dry pavement. Give yourself time to maneuver by driving slowly.

Do not use cruise control when driving on any slippery surface (wet, ice, sand).
The normal dry pavement following distance of three to four seconds should be increased to eight to ten seconds
Know your brakes. Whether you have antilock brakes or not, the best way to stop is threshold braking.
Don’t stop if you can avoid it.
Don’t stop going up a hill. There’s nothing worse than trying to get moving up a hill on an icy road.
Make it known what kind of driving assistance you have (AAA, Roadside Assistance, etc.)

Long-Distance Driving Tips:

Watch Weather Reports
Service your vehicle before hitting the road
Keep at least half a tank at all times
If you become snow-bound, stay with your vehicle. It provides temporary shelter and makes it easier for rescuers to locate you.
Tie a brightly colored cloth to the antenna or place a cloth at the top of a rolled up window to signal distress, if needed.
Make sure the exhaust pipe isn’t clogged with snow, ice or mud if you slide off the road