As cold weather grips the area, here are safety tips from AAA to be sure you are safe — and ready — for the road:
• Motorists are likely to be overconfident in their vehicles’ ability to operate at extreme temperatures and maneuver on potentially snowy and ice-packed roads.
• Motorists are urged to avoid travel and carry a vehicle emergency kit. There is a greater chance emergency steps will be required in the extreme cold and potentially wintry roads.
Tips to Keep Your Car Running and Stay Safe
While staying home is safest, AAA provides these 10 reminders for Kentuckians who must be out during the worst of the upcoming winter weather:
• 1 Always drive prepared. Take your AAA membership card with you anytime you travel or download the AAA app to your phone – just in case. Should a breakdown occur, you will need a charged-up cell phone, and your winter emergency kit with an ice-scraper, shovel, blankets, flash light, kitty litter for traction, and heavy coat, hat and gloves. Reflective triangles or flares are also recommended. Last winter’s snowstorms that closed down sections of I-75 and other highways prove how important it is for drivers to have a winter emergency kit in their vehicles in case they are stuck on the highway for an extended period of time because of a road closure and backups.
• 2. Positive your vehicle battery is ready? Vehicle batteries weaken when vehicles sit idle for a period of time (like during COVID or even now with reduced commuting) and during sustained cold temperatures. The combination of the two can result in a very weak battery at a time when the highest battery power is needed to get a car started. At 32 degrees, a battery is 35% weaker. At zero degrees, a cars battery loses 60% of its strength, yet engines need about twice the power to start. Most batteries last just 3 to 5 years. If you have an aging battery, have it tested and replaced if necessary, before heading out.
• 3. No warming needed. If your car is a 2007 or newer model, you DO NOT need to warm it up before driving. It takes only about 30 seconds for the engine to be lubricated properly. In fact, actually driving your car is the best thing to do. Take enough time to be sure your vehicle is clear of any snow and ice and that you can see out all of the windows. Cars warm up faster on the road than when they are idling. Leaving your vehicle running in the driveway for an extended period of time wastes gas. Remember, you get 0 miles to the gallon when you are idling.
• 4. Don’t be a victim. Never leave a car running with the key or key fob inside of it. Thieves can make off with a running vehicle in an instant. Never start a car and leave it running in a garage without adequate ventilation. When it’s time to remove snow from your car, don’t start your car until you’ve first cleared out the tail pipe of any snow. Death from poison monoxide entering vehicle can occur quickly if you don’t take these precautions.
• 5. De-ice is nice. With the potential for freezing precipitation as temperatures fall, ice is a real threat to vehicles sitting out in the elements. Frozen door locks can be overcome by carefully heating the end of a key with a match or lighter. A quick spray of de-icer is another easy method to clear the ice. Remember not to leave the de-icer in your car as you won’t have access to it if your locks freeze; keep it in your home, office, tote or briefcase. Do not pour hot water over a frozen lock or ice-covered vehicle, as it could damage your car.
• 6, Cool! Cool! Cool! Engine coolant performs a vital job when the temperature drops. It lowers the freezing point of the cooling system in winter. Failing to ensure coolant levels can handle the extremely cold temperatures could result in serious and expensive damage to the vehicle’s engine. AAA automotive experts recommend that coolant protection be at 30 below zero.
• 7. Under pressure. AAA also recommends checking tire pressure since tires need more air when it is cold. Proper cold weather tire pressure can be found in the vehicle manual or on a sticker inside the driver’s door, not on the tire itself.
• 8. Fill up. Keep a vehicle filled with at least a half a tank of gas. A half to full tank gives a driver the ability to keep a car running for warmth if they are stranded roadside somewhere. Gas also gives a vehicle extra weight which can help with traction in snow. It can also help avoid gas line freeze up.
• 9. Bigger isn’t always better. Guard against pick-up and SUV overconfidence. Four-wheel-drive vehicles are great for initial traction and to avoid getting stuck, but once they are moving, they have the same difficulty keeping control and stopping as other vehicles. On ice, they are at just as much at risk of slipping and sliding as smaller non-4WD vehicles.
• 10. Travel gently. If you are an essential worker and must be out on wintry roads, take it easy. Drive, turn, and brake slowly. Adjust your speed to the road conditions and leave yourself plenty of room to stop. You should allow at least three times more space than usual between you and the car in front of you. Eight seconds is a good rule of thumb.
