Winter Driving: Are YOU Prepared?

[melensdad]

I stopped on Friday, pulled a 20-ish year old kid & his car out of a snowbank. He didn’t have a cell phone and had been sitting for only a few minutes. I was the first car to pass. He was not even sure what he should do. Temps outside were below zero so he didn’t want to walk back to his friend’s house, only about a mile down the road, because he didn’t have gloves/hat/heavy coat. Took all of about 2 minutes to pull him out of the snow and back up on the roadway. I knew I kept that tow strap in the SUV for something!!!

This kid was a visitor to a family down the road. We live about 5 miles outside of a small town in a pretty rural area. He was down from the safety of the ‘suburbs’ that lie 15 miles north.

But it does make me wonder. Why do city/suburban people go out, on days when the high temperature is predicted to be -5 F, after a week that dumped roughly 20" of snow, without ANY winter gear like gloves/hats/boots/heavy coats?
Are you prepared? Even for the simple stuff? What is in your car/suv/mini-van?
Since I drive with my daughter, I tend to carry stuff for both her and myself. Back of the SUV has some extra winter boots, hats, extra pair of pants, socks, gloves, hat, etc. Just in case the stuff we are wearing gets wet trying to dig ourselves out and it is cold. Oh, and there are all the usual simple tools, plus an inexpensive tow strap, first aid kit, hand warmers, flashlight, snacks, etc. Not a full “72 hour” kit, but enough to help keep us modestly comfy, or get me out of a jam.

Better yet, how about this question:
Do you let your kids drive without the ‘basics’ needed to help them if they get into even a minor situation?

 

[MarieVeronica]

Wonderful thread! Wonderful information! And wonderful suggestions! God bless you for caring so much. This is Christian Charity… at its BEST.

 

[melensdad]

Wonderful thread! Wonderful information! And wonderful suggestions!

Well it strikes me that we prepare for our afterlife by trying to live a good Christian life should we also not be prepared for our current life?

Seriously, think about it. How much time would it take to grab a plastic kitchen trash bag (one of those 13 gallon sized bags) and throw a few extra winter clothes/sweat pants/socks/sweater for each of your kids and family members into the bag? Do it ONE TIME in November and take it out of the car in April when winter is over. Also in the car some extra gloves, hats & scarves. Toss in a blanket. Pick up some of the 99-cent chemical hand warmer packs (they work to warm feet too). Add some long shelf life snacks like beef jerky, nut snacks, etc. A small bag of tools may be helpful.

BUY A TOW STRAP, a 20’ strap comes in a fairly tight roll, can pull a 5000# vehicle out of a ditch, and costs about $12 to $15.

Don’t forget JUMPER CABLES, don’t buy the cheapest set, but you don’t need the best set either.

And a GOOD snow brush + ice scraper!!! I can’t count the number of times I’ve driven past people who didn’t wipe off their headlights + brake lights, or even most of their windows.

Honestly this stuff takes up almost no space in the trunk of most cars and if your car is very small, then you may want to get a dedicated ‘duffle bag’ for this stuff to keep in compressed.

Like I said, we prepare for what comes in our next life, but many of us seem to ignore preparations for our current life situations. I dunno why???

 

[masondoggy]

I think this is one of those areas that we get more common sense with age. When I was younger (teens, early 20’s), I never planned for the weather. I don’t think I even owned a hat or boots. But now as I grow wiser and I’m responsible for the well-being of 4 kiddies, I’m constantly drilling it in their heads when they leave the house that they don’t EVER go out in this weather without the proper gear…even if they’re just going on a short drive over to grandma’s house. You never know when you’re going to get in an accident, break down, or get stuck in the snow and have to walk or sit in a frigid cold car and wait for help.

They still don’t get it. Ya know how many times I caught my 11 trying to sneak out the house with nothing but a sweatshirt jacket on? I know with this kid, when he starts driving, I’m going to have to keep an emergency winter kit in his car…that’s if I even let him drive at all.

 

[Brenda_V]

Well, when I lived in the cold north, in the winters we kept a very warm sleeping bag (this was before I even heard of the temperature ratings on those things), a can of sterno, some kitty litter. a small snow shovel and I never left the house without the warm winter clothes on my body!

This is a good and timely reminder to keep your car winter safe but, please don’t think it is because someone lives in the city/suburbs that they don’t know, it is more likely that he was only 20 and just inexperienced.

Brenda V.

 

[melensdad]

I think this is one of those areas that we get more common sense with age.

This is a good and timely reminder to keep your car winter safe but, please don’t think it is because someone lives in the city/suburbs that they don’t know, it is more likely that he was only 20 and just inexperienced.

Well first off I work with plenty of people in their 30’s, 40’s and 50’s and NONE of them have any sort of simple preparations in their vehicles for the winter. They presume they can call their spouse on the cell phone or call someone else for help.

Secondly, and it was the last question in my original post. Do you let your kids go out like that? Clearly people think it is an issue with younger drivers. Well its still your car, or at least you approved them buying a car if they are in your household so is it not your responsibility to also instruct them?

 

[SeekerJen]

But it does make me wonder. Why do city/suburban people go out, on days when the high temperature is predicted to be -5 F, after a week that dumped roughly 20" of snow, without ANY winter gear like gloves/hats/boots/heavy coats?

Please do us the courtesy of amending your statement to “SOME city/suburban people”. This 30-year-old suburbanite wears a windproof parka, polar fleece gloves, knee-high rubber boots (with two pairs of socks if it’s really cold), and carries a hat to wear under her hood if it’s reeeally cold (I hate hats so I prefer the hood). I also keep in my car: two scrapers and a snow brush, windshield washer fluid, sand, jumper cables, a blanket, a small shovel, and a jack and lug set for tire changes, as well as my cell phone and AAA card in case I get really stuck. Good grief.

 

[LukeFive]

Well I am only 26 and not married so the question about what we allow our kids to do doesn’t apply to me yet, but if it did, I would make them be prepared and teach them what to do. Also, it is not just the rural roads that are the bad in the winter. I am temporarily in an urban area and have seen far more winter related driving incidents here than I have back home in the country. That could just be because of the concentration of people though.

Anyway about me, I drive a 4X4 ¾ ton truck. I keep snow chains for all four wheels in it though I have only had to chain up all four wheels once when I was in the mountains in conditions I really shouldn’t have been driving in anyway. I keep gortex pants and parka shell in my truck along with a change of winter clothes. I don’t have extra boots but in the winter I am wearing water proof insulated work boots so am not too worried about it. I had a set of rubber boots between the bed and the cab but when I pulled one out a couple weeks ago it cracked (almost shattered) from the cold. I do have extra gloves and hand warmer. I have freeze dried food and a backpacking stove in there along with a -40 sleeping bag. I have a tool box full of tools like any farmer would, a high rise jack, 20 to 40 feet (never less than 20’) of half inch chain, a flat headed shovel, lights, and other misc stuff that comes and goes.

It seems like I pull half a dozen people out of drifts a year. So far this year, it has only been one when I was visiting my parents over Christmas. Last year I even pulled a state trooper out.

Edit: I almost forgot, I usually have an 18.5 barreled 12ga Remington 870 with a top folding stock behind the seat too with a few boxes of different kinds of shells handy. I haven’t been carrying that as much though now while I am in the urban area.

 

[AHapka]

Usually when I see someone in the ditch in cold weather, I call the Sheriff. It only takes a few minutes for them to get there, and even in cold weather with the engine off it’ll stay warm enough.

Sorry, but I don’t feel comfortable stopping for people these days (and I’m a man). I have kids with me, and you never know who is out there.

What I carry in the car with me for cold weather gear vastly depends on where and how far I am going.

 

[stringbeanduck]

For folks in Tn, it’s death con1 when we hear that snow is on the way. Even a light dusting can be enough to close schools and send people into a panic. Why the other day they closed some county school systems just because of the threat of hitting 0°F. Some areas did get a dusting too. I’m sort of weary about driving in Michigan seeing that we’ll be moving up there soon. I know the winters up there are much harsher than they are here.

 

[SeekerJen]

For folks in Tn, it’s death con1 when we hear that snow is on the way. Even a light dusting can be enough to close schools and send people into a panic. Why the other day they closed some county school systems just because of the threat of hitting 0°F. Some areas did get a dusting too. I’m sort of weary about driving in Michigan seeing that we’ll be moving up there soon. I know the winters up there are much harsher than they are here.

My advice- stay off the freeways when the weather is really bad. We had single-digit temps + a few inches of snow last week- during the workday and just in time for evening rush hour- and the freeways were parking lots with all the spinouts. I took surface roads the whole way home (my commute is 30 miles one way), no worries, no accidents that I saw, and I probably got home quicker than I would have if I’d tried the freeways.

We don’t normally get this much snow. I think I heard that so far this winter, we’ve received more than double the average amount of snow. That plus the super-cold snap last week is reminding me uncomfortably of that Laura Ingalls Wilder book called “The Long Winter”.

 

[AHapka]

For folks in Tn, it’s death con1 when we hear that snow is on the way. Even a light dusting can be enough to close schools and send people into a panic. Why the other day they closed some county school systems just because of the threat of hitting 0°F. Some areas did get a dusting too. I’m sort of weary about driving in Michigan seeing that we’ll be moving up there soon. I know the winters up there are much harsher than they are here.

Don’t worry, you’ll learn. It’s an acquired habit. You can go faster then you might think in snow (especially if the road is completely dry and it’s just a dusting blowing across it). The key is every motion is gradual and hitting the brakes hard is a very big no-no. Once you loose your traction it’s very difficult (if not impossible) to get it back.

For example, when coming to a corner, slow to the speed you’ll take the corner at and go through the corner with no or very light brakes applied, then slowly accelerate back to speed. Your tires have only so much traction, and that can be divided three ways (acceleration, braking, and steering). When you use more of one, there is less available for the other two. If you are using all of your tractive force for braking, you can’t steer the car.

If you are going at the speed you want to take the corner at when you enter the corner, all or most of your tires traction will be used for steering (i.e. taking the corner) and you won’t need to use what little traction you have for braking. Because if you try to steer and brake and exceed the limits, then you have a problem.

I know it sounds technical, but you’ll learn it by feel and be able to amaze your friends when you visit them in Tennessee that you really can drive on the snow safely at reasonable speeds without sliding into the ditch

 

[melensdad]

Usually when I see someone in the ditch in cold weather, I call the Sheriff. It only takes a few minutes for them to get there, and even in cold weather with the engine off it’ll stay warm enough.

Sorry, but I don’t feel comfortable stopping for people these days (and I’m a man). I have kids with me, and you never know who is out there.

What I carry in the car with me for cold weather gear vastly depends on where and how far I am going.

And its great that you do call. But don’t presume the sheriff can get there in a hurry, even in emergency situations it can take quite a while because ‘emergencies’ are prioritized so a car in the ditch may be low on the scale. Still its great you do that.

As for your statement about what you carry, I think that might be a mistake to think that what you carry depends on distance, etc. There are basics that really should be there because you never know when you will have a flat tire, end up in a ditch, or find out your battery died. Keeping some basics in the car simply makes sense than risking not taking them because the trip is short. The kid in my original post was only going to his friends house, its only 15 miles, or about 20 minutes away. Not far at all.

And I understand you being afraid of stopping to help. Sadly that is a problem in our society today and one reason I carry a gun more often than I ever used to. The older I get the more I believe it is necessary. My state allows carrying handguns with a license and I’ve been an active shooter for about 20 years.

Please do us the courtesy of amending your statement to “SOME city/suburban people”. This 30-year-old suburbanite wears a windproof parka, polar fleece gloves, knee-high rubber boots (with two pairs of socks if it’s really cold), and carries a hat to wear under her hood if it’s reeeally cold (I hate hats so I prefer the hood). I also keep in my car: two scrapers and a snow brush, windshield washer fluid, sand, jumper cables, a blanket, a small shovel, and a jack and lug set for tire changes, as well as my cell phone and AAA card in case I get really stuck. Good grief.

You get no credit at all for the tire change equipment, that comes with the car. As for the rest of it, that is good, but still basic and not enough. I understand you wear boots and such, but if you are in a ditch and step out, you may well end up in knee deep water/ice/slush mix and you will need a change of socks and dry pants, hence the reason to carry a pair of sweats and some socks. No snacks for the kids? Yourself? No hand warmers? Simple inexpensive tow strap?

Well I am only 26 and not married so the question about what we allow our kids to do doesn’t apply to me yet, but if it did, I would make them be prepared and teach them what to do. Also, it is not just the rural roads that are the bad in the winter. I am temporarily in an urban area and have seen far more winter related driving incidents here than I have back home in the country. That could just be because of the concentration of people though.

Anyway about me, I drive a 4X4 ¾ ton truck. I keep snow chains for all four wheels in it though I have only had to chain up all four wheels once when I was in the mountains in conditions I really shouldn’t have been driving in anyway. I keep gortex pants and parka shell in my truck along with a change of winter clothes. I don’t have extra boots but in the winter I am wearing water proof insulated work boots so am not too worried about it. I had a set of rubber boots between the bed and the cab but when I pulled one out a couple weeks ago it cracked (almost shattered) from the cold. I do have extra gloves and hand warmer. I have freeze dried food and a backpacking stove in there along with a -40 sleeping bag. I have a tool box full of tools like any farmer would, a high rise jack, 20 to 40 feet (never less than 20’) of half inch chain, a flat headed shovel, lights, and other misc stuff that comes and goes.

It seems like I pull half a dozen people out of drifts a year. So far this year, it has only been one when I was visiting my parents over Christmas. Last year I even pulled a state trooper out.

Edit: I almost forgot, I usually have an 18.5 barreled 12ga Remington 870 with a top folding stock behind the seat too with a few boxes of different kinds of shells handy. I haven’t been carrying that as much though now while I am in the urban area.

Shotgun huh? Well I can’t say as I blame you in these times. Most everyone I meet is friendly and grateful, but then again as I wrote above, I’ve often got a handgun strapped to my waist.

What I love about your reply is what you will do with your children. Teach them well, keep them equipped.

My biggest struggle is with my wife’s vehicle I pack it for her and she tends to unpack it to make room for things. I’ve never had a breakdown but she has had a couple rural breakdowns, once in her SUV and once in mine. You’d think that would teach a lesson? Nope. Guess that is why I have to pack stuff in the car for her

 

[Brenda_V]

My biggest struggle is with my wife’s vehicle I pack it for her and she tends to unpack it to make room for things. I’ve never had a breakdown but she has had a couple rural breakdowns, once in her SUV and once in mine. You’d think that would teach a lesson? Nope. Guess that is why I have to pack stuff in the car for her

There it is, even you have someone who doesn’t stay prepared . That kid you helped could have had his parents tell him and tell him and tell him, even given him a duffel with everything in it he would need and what happens? He takes it out. You have to know that I have an emergency first aid kit and a blanket and extra bottles of water in my car and often times an extra sweater but my husband is well known for taking these things out! One of our cars has a colorful back pack as the first aid kit, before we left for our last long trip I found it in the entry way and asked why it was there and not in the car “we didn’t have room”, my response “well make room it is our first aid kit!” It found it’s way back into the car.

Brenda V. (a suburbinite and city dweller who knows how to be prepared)

 

[Cat]

Kids are cynics. I don’t blame them.

A weatherman with an affected-actor accent comes on and says, with a look of horror on his face, “We have a operation snowdesk emergency winter warning advisory issued. Bitter cold, dangerous windchills, blinding snow, lighting balls, claps of thunder that will break your eardrums, wind gales that will blow over an average-sized person, gigantic grains of pollen, a river of blood, a plague of frogs, and every middle kitty cat will die tonight.”

This alarming diatribe is accompanied by a dazzling display of arrows, maps with different colors on every county (usually color indistinguishable from each other, like mauve and pink), cartoons of weather characters, animation, sound effects, updates from lay weather people out “in the field,” videos, and songs and dances.

After hearing this forecast, we venture outside (only if we HAVE to go to work) quaking with fear and discover that…it’s really not that bad after all. The weatherman was exaggerating.

No WONDER the kids are cynical about the weather. I am, too, the way it is currently reported.

My husband doesn’t watch weather forecasts anymore. He relies on common sense. We live in Northern Illinois, it’s January, and that means snow, temperatures below zero with accompanying windchill, ice on the roads, and darkness. That means dressing warm, driving slowly, keeping the headlights in good shape, and storing emergency supplies in the car.

 

[Brenda_V]

Kids are cynics. I don’t blame them.

A weatherman with an affected-actor accent comes on and says, with a look of horror on his face, “We have a operation snowdesk emergency winter warning advisory issued. Bitter cold, dangerous windchills, blinding snow, lighting balls, claps of thunder that will break your eardrums, wind gales that will blow over an average-sized person, gigantic grains of pollen, a river of blood, a plague of frogs, and every middle kitty cat will die tonight.”

This alarming diatribe is accompanied by a dazzling display of arrows, maps with different colors on every county (usually color indistinguishable from each other, like mauve and pink), cartoons of weather characters, animation, sound effects, updates from lay weather people out “in the field,” videos, and songs and dances.

After hearing this forecast, we venture outside (only if we HAVE to go to work) quaking with fear and discover that…it’s really not that bad after all. The weatherman was exaggerating.

No WONDER the kids are cynical about the weather. I am, too, the way it is currently reported.

My husband doesn’t watch weather forecasts anymore. He relies on common sense. We live in Northern Illinois, it’s January, and that means snow, temperatures below zero with accompanying windchill, ice on the roads, and darkness. That means dressing warm, driving slowly, keeping the headlights in good shape, and storing emergency supplies in the car.

Cat - I loved this! You’re right on so many levels here. I can tell you that if the sun is shining here in NM it might or might not be warm outside so, go outside, check it out first, then decide how many layers you need. Better yet, assume you need at least three layers in the winter and less as the seasons change, it is far easier to take something off (and put it back on) than to not have it at all. I can also tell you that the temperature at my house can be easily 10 degrees cooler than down in the city around all that concrete and car generated heat.

I do say though that Melensdad has some good points, perhaps we need to write his suggestions down in list form. Or you can order this safeautocar.com/aasewetrkit.html I do think there is a need for more than what this kit provides.

I will also admit I never thought of an extra set of clothing because if I got stuck in a ditch we were always taught to stay with the car. Hmm, we also had a plan. If you were going on the highway anywhere, you let someone know when you left and gave them a call when you got there and that person knew the route you were taking so they could go find you.

Here is a list from Washington States DOT web-site

• Know before you go. Check weather conditions and travel advisories before you leave the house or office.
• Make sure you fill the gas tank.
• Allow more time to travel. When there’s ice and snow, take is slow. Give yourself extra time so you can drive slower.
• Make sure your cell phone battery is fully charged.
• If traveling over a mountain pass, carry chains and learn how to put them on before you need them.
• Take warm clothes and blankets so you can turn the car off and still stay warm.
• Carry food and water in case you get delayed in a remote area.
• Make sure you have emergency supplies, including a flashlight, flares, jumper cables and a first-aid kit

Brenda V.

 

[happymommy]

I wish someone would have taught the girl who hit us after church today, how to drive in the snow!!
What you don’t do…come flying around a bend and then slam on the brakes when you have just gotten 6 inches of snow!!!
We are all okay, but it could have been much worse!!

 

[ChristinaM]

The key is every motion is gradual and hitting the brakes hard is a very big no-no. Once you loose your traction it’s very difficult (if not impossible) to get it back.

Yep - I have learned this lesson. This is my first Indiana winter and it’s been quite an adjustment.

DH and I were out driving around looking at houses last weekend. He went to turn around in a driveway and got stuck in a snowbank. Within 5 minutes two trucks had showed up and we had 5 guys helping to dig us out. God bless those Hoosiers! We were really embarassed, but now we carry snow shovels in our cars (in addition to emergency kits)…we don’t want that to happen again!

 

[SeekerJen]

You get no credit at all for the tire change equipment, that comes with the car. As for the rest of it, that is good, but still basic and not enough. I understand you wear boots and such, but if you are in a ditch and step out, you may well end up in knee deep water/ice/slush mix and you will need a change of socks and dry pants, hence the reason to carry a pair of sweats and some socks. No snacks for the kids? Yourself? No hand warmers? Simple inexpensive tow strap?

The tire change equipment is not standard issue, I purchased that myself because it is easier to use than standard issue. And no snacks for the kids, because I don’t have any kids. I usually have something in my backpack for myself as the only distance driving I do is my daily commute to and from school. Get off of your high horse. We city-dwellers are not all helpless morons.

 

[tapiocapudding]

I totally missed Mass today and got stuck out of town because of the weather. I had to wear the same underpants for 2 days , the baby had to sleep on the floor and neither of us had clean clothes. But the highways were such a mess I didn’t want us to end up in a ditch. It really pays to be prepared!
Happy to be safe at home again!