5 winter safety tips for seasoned Colorado drivers

You have lived in Colorado your whole life; you know how to drive in poor weather conditions. Rain, snow, ice, hail, slush, you’ve witnessed it all. Although you know how to maneuver unfavorable road conditions, you also know other drivers might not.

Unfortunately, the drivers that aren’t as experienced as you may cause an accident. Even if you drive cautiously, another drivers’ negligent actions, recklessness, or lack of experience could harm you.

What can you do if another driver poses a threat to your safety?  

Although you cannot control another person’s driving habits, there are steps you can take to protect yourself. Here are five safe driving tips for poor road conditions:

1. Stay a sufficient distance behind the vehicle ahead of you. Doing so gives you more time to adjust your driving if the car in front of yours loses control.
2. Ensure your vehicle is running correctly. Put on your winter tires and check to make sure they are sufficiently inflated.
3. Practice your technique—work on safely calculating your way around another vehicle or obstacle that might be hindering your path.
4. Stay calm, patient and don’t get distracted. Undoubtedly, your commute will take longer when the road conditions are troublesome. Don’t make any unsafe movements, remain calm and focus on what lies ahead.
5. Avoid stopping if you can. Refrain from stopping when you don’t have too, keeping a consistent pace is best when there isn’t much traction.

Snowy, slushy and icy road conditions leave about 116,800 people with injuries from a motor vehicle accident every year. Even more frightening, over 1,300 people die in collisions caused by the poor road conditions annually.

Pay attention to the weather conditions before you travel. Traveling around the holidays is especially dangerous; millions of people travel around Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year’s, increasing the rate of injury and death due to an increased amount of accidents.

Do not underestimate the severity of dreadful road conditions. Even if you dive safely, others might not, which increases the likelihood of an accident. It may be in your best interest to protect yourself by exhibiting safe driving behavior.