Safety Tidbit 3.15 - Winter is Coming - Are you ready?

Safety Tidbit 3.15 – Winter is Coming - Are you ready?

Reference: National Safety Council – Be Prepared for Winter Driving

Well, I think winter is going to come. Now that Thanksgiving is over, winter may come overnight and stay for several months. While we enjoy this little “Indian summer” we need to look to our vehicles to ensure we will have an uneventful winter of driving.

You should always check the weather before setting out. It is important to have your car serviced regularly and, as my Dad told me, “In the winter always keep a full tank of gas and have good, properly inflated tires.”  Interestingly, as the temperature goes down so does the tire pressure. You may be lucky enough to have those new automatic tire pressure sensing (TPS) gauges in your wheels. Unfortunately, if all four tires lose air pressure due to the decreasing temperature some of these TPS systems may not alert you, so be vigilant and check them regularly.

According to the National Safety Council, here are a few other items you should pack into the car include:

• Properly inflated spare tire, wheel wrench and tripod jack
• Shovel
• Jumper cables
• Tow and tire chains
• Bag of salt or cat litter for better tire traction or to melt snow
• Tool kit
• Flashlight and extra batteries
• Reflective triangles or flares
• Compass
• First aid kit
• Windshield cleaner
• Ice scraper and snow brush
• Matches in a waterproof container
• Scissors and string or cord
• Nonperishable, high-energy foods like unsalted, canned nuts, dried fruits and hard candy
• Blankets, mittens, socks and hats
• Might I add: A fully charged cell phone.

Hope this was helpful and thanks for reading my Safety Tidbits! Comments and questions are always welcome. ~ Bryan

P.S. If you have an interesting safety or health question please let me know.