Today, we’re going to talk about extreme weather driving. Driving under difficult weather conditions is both challenging and hazardous. You need to understand the specific hazards of different weather conditions and adjust your driving to those conditions. By doing so, you can avoid accidents and breakdowns and reach your destination safely in any kind of weather.

Session Objectives

The main objective of this session is to provide safety tips for driving in extreme weather so that you can avoid accidents and breakdowns. By the time the session is over, you should be able to:

• Recognize extreme weather driving hazards;
• Identify appropriate safe driving precautions for different weather conditions;
• Prepare yourself and your vehicle for any kind of weather; and
• Prevent accidents and reach your destination safely when driving in extreme weather conditions.

Pre-quiz: How Much Do You Know?

Before we begin the session, let’s take a few minutes to see how much you already know about extreme weather driving. Decide which of the following statements on the screen are true or false.

• When driving in fog, you should use your high beams for better visibility.
• Your vehicle could float in as little as 24 inches of water.
• If your vehicle skids, you should steer in the direction you want the rear end to go.
• And finally, in bad weather, you should decrease following distance.

How did you do? Did you get all the answers right?

If not, don’t worry. You’ll learn all about these issues and a lot more during the session.

Effect of Bad Weather On Driving Safety

When the weather turns bad, driving conditions can quickly deteriorate. Driving becomes more difficult and more hazardous—and the risk of having an accident increases.

Extreme weather can affect your driving in several critical ways. For example:

• Visibility often decreases;
• Braking distance increases on wet or slippery roads—and moisture on the brake pads can create an additional hazard;
• Control of the vehicle also becomes a problem on wet or slippery roads, increasing the risk of skidding;
• The risk of accidents, injuries, and damage to your vehicle increases; and
• The risk of breakdown may also increase under challenging road conditions like extreme heat or extreme cold.

Think about some of the extreme weather conditions you’ve experienced on the road—for example, a severe thunderstorm or fog. Consider how those conditions affected your driving and your safety.

7 Basic Rules for Driving in Extreme Weather

There are several general rules for driving safely in extreme weather. They all relate to adjusting your driving to the conditions. This means:

• Starting out earlier and allowing extra time when weather conditions are difficult;
• Turning on your lights so you can see better and so that other drivers can see you better;
• Slowing down and matching your speed to the weather conditions rather than the posted speed;
• Staying alert and watching out for other drivers, dangerous road conditions, and so on;
• Increasing following distance from 2 seconds to at least 4 seconds;
• Preparing for stops so that you can bring your vehicle to a halt quickly but safely— this includes testing your brakes before you begin driving; and
• Getting off the road to a safe place like a rest stop or turnout if weather conditions get so bad that it is unsafe to continue your journey.

Weather Reports

• Whenever there is a chance of bad weather, you should prepare for it by checking the weather report before you hit the road. Pay special attention to weather changes later in the day that might affect your driving—for example, when coming home from work.

If you hit bad weather when you are already on the road, tune in to a local weather report on the radio to find out what may be coming your way. Being prepared for bad weather decreases the chance of having an accident and increases the probability that you will arrive safely at your destination.

Emergency Kit

Before you drive in any weather, but particularly if there is a risk of extreme weather, check your vehicle to make sure you have:

• Emergency flares or triangles;
• Flashlight;
• Tire jack and tools;
• Inflated spare tire;
• First-aid kit; and
• Jumper cables.

Emergency Kit (cont.)

In cold climates, add the following to your vehicle’s emergency kit:

• Spill-proof container of sand, some cat litter, or a couple of old roof shingles to provide needed traction if stuck in mud, snow, or ice;
• Ice scraper, snowbrush, and small folding shovel;
• Blanket to keep warm while waiting for help after a breakdown or in case you get stranded on the road in especially bad weather; and
• Emergency food and water in case you are stranded for a long time.

Do you have all necessary emergency items in your vehicle?

Vehicle Safety Check

In bad weather, you also want to be sure your vehicle is in good condition. Having a breakdown is bad enough when the weather is good, but you don’t want to break down in the middle of a severe thunderstorm or snowstorm.

So take a couple of minutes to perform a safety check on your vehicle before you get behind the wheel.

• Test your brakes to be sure they are in good working order.
• Clean all exterior lights to improve visibility. Also check to make sure all lights are working properly.
• Keep windshield wiper blades clean to prevent streaking. Use a paper towel and wiper fluid; or a small alcohol pad, such as in your first-aid kit, also works well. Replace blades as needed. They’re not effective when they’re worn. Worn blades can dangerously reduce visibility in rain or snow.
• Make sure your windshield washer reserve is full. Also check oil, coolant, brake fluid, and power steering fluid tanks.
• Make sure you have plenty of gas.
• Check tire condition and inflation. Worn tires can’t grip the road and may blow out. Replace them. Also, tire pressure falls with temperature. Check tires before driving, and keep them inflated to the manufacturer’s recommended level.

Extreme Weather Driving: 7 Basic Safety Rules

Now it’s time for an exercise. See if you remember the seven basic safety rules for driving in extreme weather that we mentioned earlier.

How did you do? Did you remember them all? Maybe you also thought of some additional safety rules that you follow in extreme weather. If so, that’s great. You can’t be too safe when driving in extreme weather.

Review

Now it’s time to ask yourself if you understand the information presented so far. For example, do you understand what we’ve said about:

• The effects of bad weather on driving safety?
• Basic rules for extreme weather driving?
• The importance of checking weather reports?
• Which items to include in your emergency kit?
• Checking your vehicle for safety before getting behind the wheel?

It’s important to understand all this information so that you’ll be well-prepared to drive safely in extreme weather.

Let’s continue now to the next slide and talk about driving safely in rain.

Rain

Driving in rain may not seem particularly hazardous, but the risk of a road accident increases significantly in even a little bit of rain. In heavy rain, severe thunderstorms, or hail storms accident risks increase as conditions worsen. There are many hazards involved in driving in rain, including poor visibility, slick roads, large puddles, and wet brakes.

Here are some precautions you can take when driving in the rain.

• Reduce speed in the rain and stay at least 4 seconds—not the usual 2—behind the driver in front. In wet conditions, stopping distance can be twice what it is in normal conditions especially if brake pads become wet. There is also the risk of losing control of your vehicle in a skid.
• Use windshield wipers and headlights, not just parking lights.
• Use the defroster if the inside of windows fog up.
• Be aware that roads are most slippery in light rain or when rain first starts falling. Rain mixed with oil and dirt makes roads slippery.
• Brake gently when roads are wet to avoid skidding. Also periodically check your brakes during the drive.
• Slow down for large puddles, which can reduce braking capability and affect steering. Drive through slowly, tapping the brake pedal.
• Pull over if you can’t see well in heavy rain. Also pull over in a hail storm, and stay in your vehicle.

Flooding

• Flooding is a particularly dangerous road hazard. Safety experts say that flash floods are a major cause of weather-related highway deaths. You could lose control of your vehicle driving fast through as little as 2 inches of water on a roadway. Most vehicles will float in just 18 to 24 inches of water.
• Driving into deep water could also soak your motor and cause your engine to stall. You could end up getting stuck and needing a tow.
• Never try to drive through a flooded road. The water may be a lot deeper than it looks. Turn back and find another way to your destination. Be especially careful if you encounter water moving swiftly across the road. Stay well clear.
• If you get caught in floodwaters, leave your car immediately and move to higher ground. It’s much better to lose your car than your life.

Have you ever driven through a flooded area on the road? Do you realize now how unwise that can be?

Fog

You’ve probably seen pictures of multiple-car pileups caused by fog. Driving in fog is extremely dangerous, and most drivers do not respond well to the hazards. If you get caught in fog, be sure to take proper precautions.

• Reduce your speed and increase following distance. If you have to stop, try to slow down gradually so that you don’t hit the vehicle in front and so that the vehicle behind doesn’t hit you.
• Keep your headlights on low beam and use your windshield wipers and defroster. It is also a good idea to use your emergency flashers to alert vehicles behind you of your presence.
• Naturally, avoid passing on two-way roads. It’s too dangerous if you can’t see far enough ahead.
• When fog is especially thick, use the painted lines on the road as a guide. If you can’t see them, it’s time to get off the road until the fog lifts and you can see well enough to drive safely.
• If you have to pull over, make sure to pull completely off the road in a safe place, and leave your emergency flashers on.

Snow and Ice

Winter weather driving is a safety concern in many parts of the country. Here are some safety tips for driving in snow and ice.

• Clear snow completely off the windshield, rear window, side windows, hood, roof, and both headlights and taillights before starting out.
• Use windshield wipers and defroster, and turn on your headlights in snow.
• Reduce speed and stay at least 4 seconds behind the vehicle in front of you. Even if you have 4-wheel drive, go slow and avoid risky behavior.
• Brake gradually.
• Watch out for icy patches and especially black ice. Bridges and overpasses ice up faster than other road surfaces because they have cold air circulating beneath them. Shady spots stay icy longer.
• Watch out for other drivers. People may panic and drive poorly in snow or ice. Some drivers go too fast for the conditions and end up in trouble.
• Finally, on sunny days when there is snow on the ground, wear sunglasses to reduce glare.

Stranded

If you are stranded in wintry weather, follow these safety rules.

• Call for help. Let someone know where you are. Then wait for the plows to clear the roads or emergency vehicles to rescue you.
• Stay with your car, and don’t overexert yourself. Cover up with a blanket from your emergency kit.
• If available, put bright markers on the antenna or windows and keep the interior dome light turned on.
• To avoid asphyxiation from carbon monoxide poisoning, don’t run your car to get heat for long periods with the windows up or in an enclosed space. Limit yourself to about 10 minutes every hour—just long enough to stay warm. If you do run your vehicle, be sure to clear the exhaust pipe of any snow first.

Handling Skids

When roads are covered in snow and ice or wet with rain, one of the greatest driving hazards you face is skidding. Losing control of your car can be a frightening experience—and very dangerous as well.

• When driving in wet or icy conditions, slow down to a safe rate.
• Avoid fast turns and sharp braking.
• If you go into a skid, stay calm and ease your foot off the gas.
• Carefully steer in the direction you want the front of your vehicle to go. This procedure, known as “steering into the skid,” will bring the back end of your vehicle in line with the front. Once the skid is under control, continue at a low speed until you are over the slippery patch.
• Keep your foot off the brake unless you have antilock brakes. Check the owner’s manual for instructions on using antilock brakes in a skid.

If you’ve ever been in a vehicle that goes into a skid, you know how hazardous it can be. Try to fix these techniques in your mind so that it will be second nature if you should ever skid.

Extreme Wind

Driving in extremely windy weather can be a challenge, especially if you’re driving a high-profile vehicle such as an SUV, van, or truck with an open bed. But in any vehicle, sudden gusts can blow you off course.

You’re particularly vulnerable when driving through flat, open country.

• When driving on very windy days, reduce your speed to help increase stability and give you better control over your vehicle.
• Also be sure to keep both hands on the wheel so that if you’re hit by a sudden gust, you can maintain control and keep steering straight.
• Increase the distance between you and other vehicles.
• And finally, be cautious when passing other vehicles. A sudden gust could send you into the other vehicle or the other vehicle into you.

You might not think of wind as a driving hazard, but it certainly can be. A sudden gust of 40 or 50 miles an hour or more hitting your vehicle broadside could cause you to momentarily lose control if you aren’t paying attention and don’t have both hands on the wheel. That momentary loss of control is all it takes to have an accident.

Tornadoes and Hurricanes

• The best safety advice about driving in tornadoes and hurricanes is don’t drive in either case, unless you are already on the road or are trying to escape the extreme weather.
• If you are driving, remember that you should never try to outrun a tornado. When a tornado is close, leave your car. If you can’t find shelter in a safe building, lie flat in the nearest depression, such as a ditch or gully, with your arms over your head.
• Be sure to take along essentials such as water, valuables, medications, clothing, and so on. Make certain your gas tank is full as well.
• When you evacuate, follow designated evacuation routes. And watch out for flooding and downed power lines, trees, and other debris.

The same is true for hurricanes. If you are going to evacuate, the time to hit the road is when a hurricane watch is issued for your area, not when the hurricane is already there.

Extreme Heat

Driving in extreme heat can put a lot of stress on your vehicle. To be safe and avoid breakdowns, follow these recommendations.

• Check the coolant to make sure it’s at the proper level.
• Watch your temperature gauge. Pull over, turn off the motor, and let the engine cool down if it starts to overheat. When you begin driving again, open the windows and put the heater on high to prevent further overheating.
• Avoid driving at a high speed for long periods when it’s very hot. Take rest breaks—for you and your vehicle.
• Use a low gear in stop-and-go traffic.
• Turn off the air conditioner if the engine is overheating.

Earthquakes

Although earthquakes are not weather conditions, it seems appropriate to say a few words here about driving in earthquakes, which, like the other conditions we’ve mentioned, can make driving especially hazardous.

Earthquakes occur suddenly, without warning, which is one of the features that makes them so hazardous. On the road, it’s hard to control a vehicle while the earth is shaking. You could also be driving into road damage. Remember these precautions if you are ever driving when an earthquake hits.

• Slow down gradually, pull over to the side of the road, and shut off the engine.
• Don’t stop near trees, power lines, lampposts, buildings, or other things that could fall on you. And don’t stop on or under bridges and overpasses.
• Be careful about where you park your vehicle in areas where mud or rock slides occur. Try to position yourself out of danger in case a slide occurs.
• Stay in your car until the shaking stops, and keep your seat belt fastened. Listen to your radio for emergency reports and instructions.

Exercise

Now it’s time for an exercise on some of the information we’ve just covered about extreme weather driving. Decide whether each of the statements you’ll see on the screen are safe driving practices or unsafe driving practices.

• Driving through swiftly moving water
• Passing on a two-way road in fog
• Keeping both hands on the wheel in windy conditions
• Slowing down when it starts to rain
• Maintaining following distance of 2 seconds in snow.
• Getting off the road if you can’t see road lines in the fog.

How did you do? Were you able to pick out all the safe practices?

Review

Let’s review and make sure you understand the information presented in the previous slides. For example, do you understand what we’ve said about driving in:

• Rain?
• Floods?
• Fog?
• Snow and ice?
• Extreme wind?
• Tornadoes and hurricanes?
• Extreme heat?
• Earthquakes?

Your knowledge of this information will help you drive safely in any kind of extreme weather.

Continue now to the last slide and some key points to remember.

Key Points to Remember

Here are the main points to remember from this session on extreme weather driving:

• Extreme weather driving is challenging and hazardous.
• To keep safe, be aware of hazards and precautions for the kind of weather conditions you could encounter on the road.
• Being prepared and cautious in extreme weather can prevent accidents, injuries, and damage to your vehicle.

This concludes the Extreme Weather Driving training session. Please be sure to go back and review any information that is not completely clear by using using the Menu on the left to select particular slides. If you still have questions, be sure to ask your supervisor or trainer.