LANSING, Mich. (WLNS) – With colder climate proper across the nook, the Michigan State Police is urging the group to organize for winter driving.
“Speed with winter weather is not a good combination,” stated Sgt. Ryan Davis.
Greater than 30,000 winter-weather crashes occurred throughout the 2022-2023 winter season, in line with MSP—almost 60 of these have been lethal.
“To get out of the skid, we teach you to steer into the skid and look in the direction that you want to go,” stated Davis.
That’s why MSP hosted a winter driving demo to organize drivers for snowy conditions forward.
“50-to-100-foot following distance compared to 10 feet which we see in the expressway a lot, that’s really going to reduce your chances of being involved in a skid,” stated Davis.
Davis says security will be so simple as slowing down.
“It’s very, very important that you don’t panic and hit the brake because when you hit the brake that’s maybe one of the worst things you can do,” stated Davis.
Bear in mind, you don’t want to attend for that first snowfall to begin prepping.
“You can do things like new windshield wipers which are pretty relatively inexpensive,” stated Davis.
In the event you’re unsure in case your automotive is prepared for the winter, there’s a simple strategy to verify: simply take a penny, insert Lincoln’s head down into the tread of the tire, and for those who can see Lincoln’s total head, there’s not sufficient tread to drive safely.
“If you don’t have good tread on your tires, or if they’re under inflated, which is very common when we get into the cold weather, the pressures start to go lower, that’s really going to affect the handling of your car,” stated Davis.
Officers additionally advocate “winter-izing” your automotive battery, ignition, brakes, lights, wipers, and defrosters.
In the event you do end up at risk behind the wheel, Davis says to keep away from making sudden strikes, make sure you steer into the skid, and check out your greatest to remain calm.
“The biggest thing is speed. Reduce your speeds, drive to the weather,” stated Davis.
