Driving Safely in the Ohio Valley

Having lived in Vermont most of my life I am no stranger to snow and treacherous road conditions. I remember specifically learning about how to drive in such conditions in driver’s ed.  Due to the fact that Vermont gets a lot more snow than West Virginia, I would say drivers in Vermont are a bit more experienced on driving in the snow.  Being that the past few days have been filled with snow and there is more on the way, I would like to take a minute to remind folks of some basic safety tips to ensure you and your loved ones get home safe and sound.

Always allow yourself enough time to get to your destination safely.  We are all busy, some of us have kids to get ready for school or daycare in addition to getting ourselves ready.  However, the last thing you want to do when the roads are bad is to be speeding to ensure you get to your destination on time.  Slow down and prepare ahead of time by giving yourself a few extra minutes for bad road conditions.

Turn your headlights on.  When it’s snowing visibility is not the greatest.  It is always important in these conditions to have your lights on.  It ensures your safety and the safety of others on the roadway.

Maintain a safe distance.  You are following a car and they hit their brakes, you hit your brakes, but are following too closely and your car starts to slide and before you know it you have collided.  It is always important to maintain a safe distance from the car in front of you for this very reason. It gives you time to safely react without having to slam the brakes, which will undoubtedly cause you to slide when the roads are bad.

Last but not least, wear your seatbelt.  Not only is it the law, but also in the instance there is an accident it could save your life!

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