Winter driving essentials

First I suppose I should introduce myself and tell you a little bit about me, My name is Paul, I have been a truck driver for 9 years and a volunteer firefighter and EMT for the last 22 years. I live in South Dakota and have experienced winter conditions all over the country. I have been on the rescuing end of things and have hunkered down through some really ugly weather.

Being a truck driver and also being from South Dakota, if there is one thing that I can say with a fair degree of certainty, it is that I know how to prepare, and drive in, adverse winter conditions. That being said, I would like to take this opportunity to write down a few things to help some others along the way.

Preparing to drive in winter conditions should start quite some time before grabbing your keys. Before you even debate going over the river and through the woods to grandmother's house in Montana, Minnesota, Maine, Massachusetts, Missouri or Michigan you need to think of several things. I am going to start with the assumption that you live in Miami and have your whole life. Another assumption is that the farthest north that you have been is Mississippi.

In this effort I am not going to get into how to drive in the winter in less than ideal conditions. I will likely do this at another time. For now we are going to assume that you have had some additional training in your driving skills and are capable of driving safely in a little bit of snow.

I am also assuming that your car is in good repair and has at least all season tires. If you are stuck in a blizzard your car is your lifeline, and if your vehicle fails your chances of dying just doubled. I don't want to be an alarmist here, and forgive me if I go a little overboard, but being stuck in winter can get you killed. A temperature of 5 degrees with a wind of 30mph gives a wind chill of -19 and can be deadly in under an hour. Add significant snow to that and you have a blizzard.

The first thing that you need to have to plan your trip is information. Go online and get the 10 day forecast for the area that you are traveling to, then pack for the record low that you see in that forecast during the time that you are going to be there. We all like to make fun of weathermen and how we wish we had a job where we can be wrong 50% of the time and be considered a success, but they are REALLY good at recording what happened yesterday, ten days ago and on out to the last 100 years or so (at least in the US).

Pack clothing assuming that you must remain outdoors for 2 to 3 hours in the record lows. I am hoping that you do not have to, but it is far better to have a little more than you need than not enough. If it can get REALLY cold there, plan on dressing in layers, something that should be self-evident but I will likely cover at another time.

Some other things that you should pack if you have them and STRONGLY consider getting if you do not have include,

1. A small folding camping shovel. This can be used to clear snow from around your exhaust system in case you are going to be stranded in your car for an extended period of time, and can be used to get your car un-stuck.
2. Kitty litter. It is cheap and if you are stuck you can spread some around your tires to help with traction.
3. A good pair of sunglasses, there is a good reason that when you see pictures of mountain climbers they are wearing them. If you are in a snowy circumstance and the sun comes out it is easy to get snow-blinded.
4. A D/C charger for your cell phone.
5. A GPS device if you do not have one on your phone. Not only can it tell you how to get there, if you are stuck and able to call for help it can help you tell rescuers EXACTLY where you are. If you have a smart phone that does have GPS make sure you can get your longitude/latitude location from it, if you cannot there are a number of free apps for both the android and apple systems that can get that information for you. Also, do not take the routing of these things as gospel. I have had GPS try to send me down roads that do not exist and the wrong way down one way streets.
6. At least 1 blanket and 1 pillow for every person that will be in the vehicle.
7. 9 to 12 energy bars per person, usually 300 to 500 calories each. These can provide sustenance if you are going to be stuck in the car for a few days. Try to make these a flavor that you are not so fond of so that you do not snack away at them out of boredom. (I haven't found any Brussels Sprouts flavored bars yet, but you get the picture)
8. A large multi-wicked candle. With this and a tin cup you can melt snow and the candle can provide a surprising amount of heat in a small enclosed space such as a car or pickup truck. With this you need either matches or 2 butane cigarette lighters.
9. Fore mentioned tin cup, 8 to 10 ounces is a good size.
10. Water, a gallon per person.
11. Paper towels (always useful and can double as toilet paper.)
12. A reliable flashlight with fresh batteries and if it is anything other than a LED flashlight a spare set of batteries.
13. Chemical hand warmers. These are cheap little packets that once you break the plastic seal that wraps them heat up and warm your hands (or any other skin they are placed against) for a few hours.
14. A LOUD whistle. If you are trying to get someones attention over a distance and the wind is blowing forget using your voice, you car's horn might get it done, but a loud whistle seems to carry better in the wind in my experience. (besides you can use it to hail taxis in a big city)
15. Road flares. (more on this later)
16. A hand-held CB radio. Truckers routinely tell one another what road conditions are like on the road and that information can be vital to you. One bit of advice, The language on these can get a bit rough and if you have young children in the car I would listen sparingly, or with an earpiece. Truckers are generally on channel 19.
17. A weather band radio with weather alert. (if you have a hand-held CB it may already have this.)

I would keep all of these in a tote in the trunk or the cargo area of your pickup or SUV, most of these things can freeze without an issue, however keep the water in a heated area of the vehicle, and I would just go ahead and plug the D/C charger into your cigarette lighter of your vehicle before you leave. Also I would advise that every time you stop to empty your bladder you fill your tank! I mentioned earlier that your car is your lifeline and it will serve you much better if you have fuel in the tank to keep the engine running. If you are in an area where it snows, treat ½ tank as empty between October 15^th and April 30^th.

Ok, so we are packed and we are moving north. Once you get into the area where snow and ice can occur you need to check the forecast daily before the start of your drive. If you have reached an area where you could get significant snowfall call someone and let them know your route for the day and when you plan on being done for the day. Then call them at the end of the drive so that they do not worry about you. This is crucial if you get in to trouble and there is no cell signal, so that rescuers know where to start looking for you.

If there is a winter storm watch or warning within a hundred or so miles of your days planned route I would recommend not listening to your Ipod that day and instead listening to a local radio station as you drive. I know that it is a pain switching to a new station every half hour or so as they fade out, but you are going to get good local conditions. I would also recommend listening to AM radio as much as possible as they are usually news oriented and have people that can get on the air even if they are playing a syndicated show and give you up to date information. Your music and favorite podcasts will still be there the next day waiting for you. (The Gun Dudes and the Un-named Trucker really wont mind that much if you listen a day late).

Another resource that quite a few states have is 511. While they are all different and some MUCH better than others, all states that have this can give you vital information regarding conditions on the roads that you will be traveling. Another safety tip here, the time to call 511 is when you are stopped. One of my biggest pet peeves is people that are driving down the road staring at their phone. When you are moving at 65 mph you travel 95 feet/second. In just looking down to dial your phone or entering the highway number of the road that you are looking for information about you are covering at least a third of a football field BLIND! Do yourself and everyone around you a favor, have your passenger call or pull over to make this call.

A few things about weather reports and road conditions. A winter storm watch is something that you seriously want to pay attention to. It means that conditions are favorable over the next 24 to 48 hours for a significant snow storm. Consider this a tap on the shoulder from good old mother nature. A winter storm warning means that there is a significant snow storm headed your way and conditions will be really tough over the warned time period, think of this as Mother nature giving you a good shake. A blizzard watch should make the hair on the back of your neck stand straight up if you are in the watch area, this is like a good old back hand slap. A blizzard warning is a Louisville Slugger to the groin A blizzard is when significant snowfall is expected, a visibility reduction to ¼ mile or less and sustained winds of 35mph or greater for more than a 3 hour period. I will still drive my 18 wheeler depending on conditions,with weather reports that say that a winter storm warning is in the area, and in certain instances in a blizzard watch. But if there is a blizzard warning out and I cannot avoid that area of travel it is hunker down time.

Next is when to pull over and call it a day. There are several things that can indicate this, If you feel tired, you cannot remember the last several miles that you drove, you seem to be having problems paying attention, or you are THE LEAST BIT nervous about the driving conditions. If you think that you might be in over your head, chances are that you went past that stage a long time ago.

If you encounter a roadway that is closed, heed the warning. It is there for a reason. A lot of states have BIG fines for ignoring these closures and you can be billed for the cost to rescue your sorry butt. Also, if you call for road conditions or are listening to the radio and they tell you that no travel is advised, heed this warning as well, just because you have the very latest super duper SUV with full time smart all wheel drive and anti lock brakes and heated seats and a seat-belt specially designed for Fluffy the poodle in the back seat doesn't mean that you can handle what is ahead. This is ESPECIALLY true if you do not have a lot of experience driving in adverse conditions. When I see people in the ditch it is more SUVs and pickups with for wheel drive than anything. I do often see semi trucks in the ditch, but 4 wheel drives outnumber them usually 1.5/1 to 2/1.

Another caution that I would like to throw your way is ice on the roadway, I do not care if you are the re-incarnation of Dale Earnhardt, you CANNOT drive safely on ice in any vehicle that doesn't have chains on all of the wheels, and even then your top speed needs to be 15 to 20 MPH. Ice is the one condition that no matter what I am driving shuts me down right away. A few patches here or there can be dealt with, but under no circumstances should you ever drive in an ice storm. If you are in danger of dying and need to get to the hospital call an ambulance and let someone who is equipped to handle the situation deal with it. (better that than getting into a wreck and giving the doctor more injuries to deal with)

One last thing before we get down to what to do if things go wrong. When choosing my routes in the winter my preference of roadways is as follows.

1. Interstate roadways. These are state maintained and are always the first to get worked on. The states usually try to keep the Interstate open if at all possible.
2. Other 4 or more lane devided state highways with on and off ramps. These interstate-like roads also are usually among the first to get attention.
3. 4 lane regular roads
4. 2 lane paved roads.

Any road that is not paved if conditions are bad I will avoid no matter what I am driving. It could be several days before someone comes along to open an unpaved road.

Alright, you didn't check the weather forecast and were really wrapped up in the last 2 hours of the Cam Edwards podcast from last night, you went whizzing by your exit and then took one a few exits down and GPS shows you this GREAT shortcut! You cut down this 2 lane road and are now on that last 50 mile stretch of road that leads to Granny's place. WHAM you hit the snowdrift around the bend and high side your 1983 Chevette, the front wheels are in the air, and you ain't goin' nowhere Bubba. NOW WHAT?!?

Don't panic and STAY WITH YOUR CAR!.Unless you can clearly see that there is an occupied structure that is within 100 yards or so, you are better off where you are at. Get out your camping shovel and kitty litter and see if you can get the car freed up. If you can't get the car moving again get on your cell phone and get help on the way.

No cell signal or help is more than a few hours away? Roll down a down-wind window a crack (1 to 1 ½ inches is enough) leave the engine running and the heater going. Get out and make sure that your exhaust is not obstructed by snow. If you have an external antenna on the car tie some brightly colored cloth to it, and then get back in and warm up.

The reason that you need to crack your window is to avoid carbon monoxide buildup in the car. As stated earlier you should have your car in good running order, even so if your exhaust becomes obstructed and cannot leave from behind your car it will go underneath and seep up through any cracks it can find. That is why you need to clear the exhaust every few hours and keep that window cracked so you get some fresh air.

If help is going to be a day or 2 you should still be alright if you packed well and did not run yourself out of fuel getting to where you are now. You are going to want to conserve fuel as much as possible and this means turning the your car off for a while. I would suggest running the car for 15 minutes on 45 minutes off. Use your candle for heat when the car is turned off, making sure that is is on a level surface and YOU ARE NOT ALLOWED TO EVEN THINK ABOUT SLEEPING WITH A LIT CANDLE!!!!!!!! (was I clear on that?) I am not going to go into every make and model of car, but it generally takes about 1/3 to ½ of a gallon of gas to idle a 6 cylinder car for an hour. If you have a 16 gallon tank that is half full that leaves you 8 gallons of gas. At ½ gallon per hour that is 16 hours, at running 15 minutes per hour that is 64 hours of heat.

Use your energy bars sparingly for sustenance. In an emergency you can live on 900 calories a day for quite a while. Use water a little more liberally as you have all kinds of snow outside to melt should you need more .

Why did I tell you to pack those blasted road flares and then not mention them at all?!?! Well the fact is that you should not use them unless you see or hear something that can help you, such as a snow plow, a helicopter or airplane, a snowmobile or anything else that can get word out that that you need help. A flag can be missed, a flashlight works better than a flag, but in my experience nothing grabs your eye in low light conditions quite like a road flare (except maybe a muzzle flash from a gun, and if you are seeing these we have a whole other set of problems to deal with). Also this is the time to use your whistle, even Michael Buffer cannot get louder than a good loud whistle.

One more thing to bring up is abandonment. Should the worst of the worst happen and you have been stuck for several days and you run out of fuel so no more heat from the car, you are almost out of energy bars and you have not been able to get anyone on the cell phone and no one knows where you are. At this point ONLY would I think about abandoning the vehicle to get help, and ONLY if I knew where to go to get that help. You are about to leave your windbreak, your bed, your protection from wild animals, and a really big sore thumb sticking out saying that you need help. Leave a note on the steering wheel stating where you are going and how you plan to get there. Put on as much clothing as you can get on and still walk,bring your matches or lighters and any remaining food and your cup for water. If you have a weapon for God's sake bring that and spare ammo!Get a GPS fix and direction and move at a steady pace. Most GPS and cell phone batteries last only for about 5 to 6 hours constant use so use them sparingly, and always be looking for shelter as you move.

As mentioned in the beginning of this now rater lengthy discussion I drive truck for a living, and as such have a few more advantages than almost anyone in a car does. However if you have a vehicle that has multiple batteries (some diesel pickups and cars and many RV's) there are a few more things that can help you be more comfortable. Please be aware that these things all take power from your alternator or batteries and as such ARE NOT FREE, you will have to burn more fuel to recharge your batteries or turn the alternator when you use them.

1. A 12 volt electric blanket. These cost about $20 to $30 and can be found in the winter months at most truck stops. I can stay warm in my truck under one of these blankets down to an outdoor temperature of about 5 degrees.
2. A 12 volt crock pot, while a little messy for cleanup, a can of beef stew and an hour or so in the crock pot is a great lunch!
3. A portable jump start pack with a 12 volt receptacle. I have seen these at most department stores and will power your 12 volt accessories for a while without draining your battery, so that you have the best chance of starting your car.

Keeping your head about you and staying with your vehicle are by far the 2 things that are more likely to get you out of this than anything else. I cannot stress enough that you should not drive in any conditions that you are not prepared for.

That is it for now, thanks for reading and safe motoring!