If you’re driving somewhere far from home this summer, you’ll want to make sure that you’re ready for the conditions you’ll face. If you’re not accustomed to serious winter driving conditions, you’ll have to learn some new skills. Most of these skills have one thing in common: patience. In areas where winter weather is severe, you’re always outmatched by the elements and have to drive on their terms.
Many car accident injury claims happen in the winter months and involve rear-end collisions. If you’re driving in the winter, even if the roads look clear, assume that your braking distance is always longer than you would normally expect. You have to get used to slowing down sooner than you normally would.
When heavy snow and blizzards begin, it’s sometimes almost impossible to differentiate the ground from the sky. This is called a white out. If you’ve never been in such conditions, the effect is something like driving into a thick fog bank: it’s impossible to differentiate landscape and road features. In these conditions, the choice is not between proceeding at a normal speed or slowing down but, rather, the choice is whether you should keep driving or pull over. If you do keep driving, you may have to drive very, very slowly to be safe.
In colder areas, the snow on the roads can pile up very quickly. This puts you in danger of being stranded on the side of the road. If you feel yourself sliding or if you’re not sure if the road below you is icy or not, slow down. In some areas, you may not be able to go on certain roads without tire chains. If a road is posted as being restricted to vehicles with chained or studded tires, stay off it unless you have such equipment. These roads are often remote, and getting stranded may be a very serious situation.
If someone causes you to get into a wreck do to their inappropriate driving for the conditions at hand, contact a car wreck attorney. Even when conditions are bad, the roads can be traveled on relatively safely as long as people are willing to slow down and be patient. If someone didn’t bother to consider that you were on the road with them and they caused you injury due to their negligence, contact an attorney to explore your options.
