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You have things to do and places to be and the last thing you need is to be stuck in the driveway, turning the ignition over and over only to hear a sputtering engine.
“What we want to do is really take care of our vehicles because we do rely on them a lot to get us where we need to go and (they) kind of become our second home in the winter,” said Christine Niemczyk from CAA Saskatchewan.
Her first piece of advice is to plug in your vehicle when the temperature falls to -15 C or colder.
“Check the cord to make sure that it’s not frayed and that it’s in good operational service because … you might think the vehicle is plugged in and it’s not,” she said.
She also says drivers should keep at least half a tank of gas in the vehicle.
“The weight of the gas does help your vehicle when you are driving around,” she said. “But also … if you need to start your car, if you need to warm up, you can start your car intermittently … You’ve got gas and you’re good to go.”
Niemczyk said opinions are split on whether warming up your vehicle is necessary but she thinks it’s a good idea.
“What we would recommend is that once your car is warmed up, drive it around, make sure that all the fluids including your oil are running through your system, and that it’s operational,” she said.
CAA has some additional safety tips, including getting winter tires, checking for correct tire pressure, keeping fluids topped up, inspecting brakes and keeping a roadside safety kit with items like winter clothes, non-perishable food, booster cables and a shovel.
The right driver behaviour is also necessary.
“We’re not the only ones out there, (so) share the road responsibly (and) give yourself lots of time to where you need to go,” Niemczyk said.
“Your driving behaviour, it’s going to have to be adjusted because there’s snow (and) there’s ice. Slow down in school zones (and) obey the posted speed limit. And what we like to say at CAA is please drive according to the current weather and road conditions.”
-Editor’s note: This article has been changed to remove a reference to a specific product.