Dealing with the inclement weather and often severe cold of winter can be a serious challenge even for experienced drivers. However, there are steps you can take to make things easier:
1. Don’t forget to de-ice
Lack of visibility is a major danger at any time and winter weather can be particularly dangerous. It can rain in the summer but there is no danger of water or snow freezing on the windshield. In winter there are two main issues to deal with – windscreens icing over and snow or freezing rain blocking your view while driving.
In order to de-ice a windscreen, the AA has several recommendations. Perhaps most importantly, try to avoid having them ice over in the first place. Parking in a closed space is best to keep windscreens de-iced, but not too practical for all truckers. However, covering your windscreen overnight with a towel, rubber mat or sheet and holding it in place with your wipers can be quite effective.
If you do end up with an icy windscreen, start your vehicle and turn on the defroster full blast. You can speed up the thawing process with a de-icing fluid (either purchased or homemade). However, it is important to make sure the entire windscreen is de-iced; don’t try to just clear off the minimum necessary. You need to see the whole windscreen in order to drive safely.
There are a number of preventative and de-icing fluids you can buy, or even make on your own using a mixture of vinegar or rubbing alcohol and water. Keep in mind, however, that de-icing fluids can get expensive and with homemade solutions, you have to be careful as they can damage your vehicle’s paint.
To prevent trouble from freezing rain and snow on your journey, the AA recommends leaving time to de-ice your windscreen before starting out and allowing extra time for winter journeys.
2. Check the pressure
In winter, the intense cold can cause tyre pressure to drop, making it particularly important to keep a close eye on it. The AA also provides recommendations for checking your tyres at least every couple of weeks, all year-round, and points out that in winter you should only check your tyres after they have been exposed to the cold for the most accurate reading. And, of course, be prepared with tyre chains if you’re entering particularly snowy areas.
3. Don’t get overconfident
After a few hours of driving through snow-covered roads, you may start thinking, “I got this.” But even the most experienced driver can’t really know what dangers may be lurking underneath a patch of snow, especially black ice. Black ice is formed when there is a thin layer of water on the road, often from snow that starts to melt and then refreezes, forming a transparent coating of slippery ice on the road. So, it’s important to remain alert at all times. Also remember that bridges can often freeze over before roads, so even if the road is clear, bridges can be icy.
4. Learn from the scouts
Be prepared to get stuck on the road. Despite all your efforts to make your journey as smooth as possible, sometimes circumstances dictate you getting stuck someplace. At the very least you should set out with some extra clothes, food and water (for a couple days), blankets, toilet paper and a cell phone charger. You may even want to travel with a portable toilet.
5. Keep your distance
While it’s always important to keep sufficient distance between your vehicle and the one in front, ice, snow and freezing rain make safe following distances critical. This can be made easier with a good collision avoidance system such as the Mobileye® 8 Connect™. This system provides headway monitoring and warnings including audio and visual alerts when the following distance between you and the vehicle ahead becomes unsafe. In winter conditions, it is advised to set your collision warning system to provide alerts so as to keep the maximum safe distance between you and the vehicle ahead, giving you enough time to hit the brakes.
