Winter Driving Tips

By Hardwick & Pendergast, P.S. on October 18, 2017

While it’s true that Seattle rarely sees snow, the city can still become quite cold and icy during the winter months. And when it does snow here, snowfall can be quite heavy. Even when it’s not snowing, it will likely rain; and both conditions call for additional safety measures on the part of Seattle drivers. As we enter this season, keep these winter driving tips in mind.

1. Make Sure You Can See

One of the most important aspects of driving through Seattle in wintertime is making sure you can see the road at all times. This is harder when it’s raining or snowing, naturally. So make sure your windshield wipers are in good working condition. This is the best way to ensure your field of vision will be clear enough.

When wiper blades aren’t working properly, or are cracked and broken, they can leave streaks on the windshield, making it more difficult to see, especially at night. Keep a spare set in the trunk—this will help you out if your wiper blades inadvertently rip or break.

Of course, to keep your windshield clean you’ll also need to use windshield washer fluid; and Seattle drivers go through a lot of this during the winter months. Always make sure the tank is full before you go, especially when you’re taking a long trip. It can help to keep an extra bottle of fluid in the trunk as well for times when it unexpectedly runs empty.

2. Make Sure Your Car Stays on the Road

In addition to seeing the road, you also need to ensure that your car is going to stay on the road; making sure your tires have proper traction is the best way to do this. Checking your tires’ tread is important, but when Seattle’s roads get really bad, it’s also important to have chains handy that can be placed on the tires. Chains are a tire’s best defense against a slippery road, and will help grip the road and move through snow and ice better than anything else.

3. Get Your Engine Checked

Lastly, you can’t forget about the engine, which is really the heart of the car. You should always get your car’s engine checked in the fall to ensure all belts and fans are working properly. You also need to know what type of oil to use in the engine. With engine oil, it’s all about the weight. If you’re driving a car with oil thins out when heated, it will become too thick in cold temperatures to keep the engine’s parts running smoothly. For winter driving in Seattle, it’s recommended that you use a 10w30 or 10w40 oil.

Even when you follow these winter driving tips, there’s no guarantee that everyone else will. For larger vehicles like commercial trucks, that could really cause some damage. If you have been in a weather-related truck accident, contact Hardwick & Pendergast, P.S., today at (888) 228-3860. You may be entitled to compensation, and we’ll work hard to get it for you.