Tips For Getting To Your Winter, Holiday Season Destination Safely
By CFAY Traffic Safety

As winter weather and holiday travel nears, it’s time to review a few safety tips. Prepare yourself now by winterizing your vehicle and being equipped with essential survival items before driving.

There is nothing worse than having a day planned full of shopping, making stops to friends’ houses to deliver cards and gifts and then; what you never thought would happen to you, does.

The car breaks down. Is it the windshield wiper rubber that finally broke and offers zero visibility, the battery finally gave you all it had on the last start, or did that tire you were hoping would hold on finally give out and your spare is as flat as the other tire?

Winterizing your vehicle is easy; the following are a few simple checks that you can make:

• Check all exterior lights and clean off excess snow and ice to make sure you are visible to other drivers and pedestrians.

• Tires should be inflated to manufacturer recommendations and tread depth no less than 1/16 inch.

• Replenish your windshield wiper fluid and confirm wipers are in good condition; also, consider installing winter wipers.

• Check your oil level and (if suggested by manufacturer) change to lighter weight oil for the winter.

• Make sure that your car is braking evenly; also, check your brake fluid levels.

• Clean your battery terminals and assure the battery is fully charged.

• Confirm your vehicle cooling system is filled with the proper (50/50) antifreeze and water mix.

• Always drive with a full tank of gas when leaving the city limits.

Now that the vehicle is prepared, are you? It is important to have emergency supplies on hand, but it’s most important to be able to find them during the actual emergency. Store all supplies in sealed containers such as small plastic cases with secure lids. In the event of an emergency, all your supplies will be in a central location and can be easily found in the dark. Check expiration dates on emergency supplies.

Do you have the following necessary emergency supplies?

• Tow chain, rope or straps.
• Jumper cables or jump starter.
• Sand and ice melting agent (bag of salt).
• Shovel.
• Windshield ice scraper and snow brush.
• Road map.
• Emergency flares, fuses or light sticks.
• Extra winter clothes, coats, hats and gloves.
• Regular or emergency blankets.

Many of these items can be found in Emergency Road kits which are available online as well as the Navy Exchange Autoport. They come in many varieties depending on your travel habits.

Finally, to help ensure a holiday filled with safe driving, elect yourself to be a designated driver. Clear Vision has many campaigns throughout the year, this year, “Give the Gift of a Designated Driver.” This helps to ensure people will be able to enjoy holiday fun. Remember, this is the time of giving so if you have been blessed with a “Gift of a Designated Driver,” return the gift so other drivers can enjoy the festivities at the next holiday get-together.

Before you hit the road, make sure your car is ready for the trip. Go to the Morale, Welfare and Recreation Auto Hobby Shop or the NEX Autoport to get things checked out. Have a planned route, and let someone else know the route you are taking. Sunglasses help reduce the glare from snow and sleet, providing better driving visibility. Let’s do our part to make sure everyone drives and arrives safely through the winter and holiday season.