Winter Driving Safety
With winter weather conditions quickly approaching, it is important to ensure that you, and your vehicle, are prepared for slippery road conditions.
Here are some tips for winter driving:
- Slow down and give yourself extra time
- Keep a safe distance from the vehicle in front of you
- Do not brake suddenly
- Ensure that your windshield wipers are functioning well
- Make sure all fluids are topped up
- Invest in a good set of winter tires
- Have an emergency kit in your car – this can include an ice scraper, snow brush, small shovel, windshield washer fluid, booster cables, fire extinguisher, flashlight with extra batteries, a blanket and a first aid kit
- Ensure that your gas tank is always above half full
- Avoid using cruise control on slippery roads
- Determine how your car responds to a skid and the best way to recover from it
Equally important, drivers must ensure that they are, at all times, alert when driving. While weather is a contributing factor to accidents, it is not always the main factor. Do not text and drive, play Pokémon Go (see our previous article on “Unexpected injuries in the Craze of Pokémon Go), or get distracted in any other way while you are operating your vehicle.
Watching out for pedestrians is also crucial. It was reported that from June to September 2016, cars struck 1,083 pedestrians and cyclists. 542 pedestrians and 541 cyclists over 112 days were hit by a car: this produces an average of nearly 10 collisions per day.
As of October 2016, there have been 64 fatal collisions. This equals the total number of fatal collisions that occurred in 2015. If just two more traffic fatalities occur before the end of the year, Toronto will have reached the highest number of road fatalities since 2003.
We hope you are not injured in a car accident caused by someone else’s negligence or carelessness, but if you are, call Reybroek Law today for a free consultation.
