Michigan is well-known throughout the country for its beauty during winter. However, this season can bring with it dangerous and many times deadly conditions. This article shares a few safety tips to help keep your family safe while travelling this Michigan winter.
Believe it or not, most winter deaths happen in automobiles. Approximately 70% of all winter deaths occur as the result of traffic accidents (about.com). Further statistics indicate that over 95% of all traffic accidents involve some type of driver behavior (smartmotorist.com). This means that the overwhelming majority of traffic accidents, even those that occur during the winter, can be avoided if the driver would modify their behavior. Here are a few suggestions:
1. Don’t speed. Increased speed increases stopping distance. Couple that with slippery roads and poor visibility and the chance of having a collision increases significantly.
2. Increase your following distance. Should the vehicle in front of you need to stop quickly, the more distance you give yourself to stop, the less likely you will be to hit that vehicle. This also allows you to brake slower and safer decreasing the chance of being rear-ended.
3. Avoid dangerous situations. Driving in another vehicle’s blind spot, driving next to large vehicles with poor visibility, driving in between two vehicles for sustained periods of time are all situations that should be avoided to allow you the best opportunity to avoid collisions.
The second leading cause of winter deaths is being caught outside in a storm. Nearly 25% of winter deaths happen as a result of this unfortunate situation. This is how to avoid it:
1. A quarter tank is empty. During the winter, fill up your gas tank once it reaches a quarter tank. Being caught somewhere remotely close to being on “E” puts you in a very precarious position.
2. Plan your travels. If you’re taking a trip, know the distance and time it should take to arrive. Knowledge about road closures or construction (not just for summer) on your route is helpful as well. Have your local mechanic give your vehicle a quick check before you hit the road and a good emergency kit should remain in your vehicle all year. Let family or friends know when and where you are going and when you are returning. Should something happen this will give authorities a good starting point.
3. Avoid driving during early morning hours. There is safety in numbers. Typically there are fewer drivers on the roads between 11 pm and 4 am. This means fewer possible motorists that can assist you if there’s trouble.
Dave Davis is the Metro-Detroit Insurance Examiner. For more information on these and other safety tips visit us on Facebook and Twitter.
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