Perfect Timing for Winter Driving Awareness Week

Winter weather on a snow covered street with a tree in the foreground, and cars and houses in the distance, all covered in snow.

A residential street including cars, trees, houses and sidewalks are snow covered

PC: J. Katz

The timing couldn’t be better for “Winter Driving Awareness Week.” Those experts sure know when to bolster the conversation about winter driving.

Mother Nature has been slamming us with significant amounts of snow for the past couple of days. With the winter weather hitting our region this weekend, it can’t hurt to review some long-standing winter driving safeguards.

Fortunately, the storms are hitting us on a holiday weekend when driving is less frequent, and more people can stay home. However, there are many reasons why thousands of drivers are taking to the roads this weekend.

While we may have heard these recommendations many times before, it’s certainly worth repeating on days like this. These are some of the tips and warnings from the experts about driving on New Jersey's snow-filled streets.

Winter Weather Driving Recommendations

The first comment, of course, is “don’t drive if the streets are snow-covered unless it’s necessary.” It almost seems silly to mention that because a reasonable driver doesn’t wait for a snowstorm to say, “I think I’ll go for a ride.”

If you do drive in this mess, it’s recommended that you drive slowly and not rush to your destination. During the ride, ensure you maintain a safe distance between your vehicle and the one ahead.

You should also keep an eye on the cars behind you. If it doesn't seem like the driver following you will be able to stop safely, you should change lanes. If you can’t change lanes, pull over and allow them to pass. Accidents are just as scary, frustrating, and inconvenient, even if it’s not your fault.

Here are a few more tips and facts to be aware of during winter driving.

Use your low beams when visibility is bad. In many cases, high beams make it more difficult to see.
No matter how fast you're moving, never use cruise control when driving in winter weather. It prevents you from reacting quickly if your car begins to slide.
Always keep your gas tank at least half full. This could be a lifesaver in winter driving conditions. You may not have an accident, but others will. You may find yourself idling motionless for long periods of time.

And don’t forget to remove snow and ice from the hood, roof, and trunk of your car before driving. It’s a law designed to prevent snow from flying off and hitting the cars behind you. According to NJ.gov “If flying ice or snow causes property damage or injury to others, motorists face fines of $200 to $1,000 for each offense.”

Snow Snow and Ice weather Winter

Joel KatzWriter

Joel Katz is the Morning Show Personality, Assistant Program Director, Podcast Host, Voiceover artist, audio producer, and Digital Content Writer for Magic 98.3. Joel has been working in New Jersey radio since college and started at Magic in 2002 as the Morning Show Host, “I can’t think of another place where I’d fit more perfectly; it’s just a great company with awesome people.” Joel is married to Kathleen, his elementary school sweetheart (they were each other’s first dates at age 9), shares a birthday with his oldest son, Ty, and has twins, Kiera and Liam. Joel runs at least 3.1 miles every day and enjoys playing basketball, doing laundry, saving his turn signal for when he really needs it, kissing dogs through a fence, using coasters, making that cool noise by rubbing his fingers on balloons, and chasing after ping pong balls on a windy cruise ship.