Best Practices for Visibility in the Winter Months

Driving in the winter is an inevitability. Whether you’re traveling for the holidays, commuting to work, or just, you know, getting out of the house, it’s gonna happen. No matter how badly you wish you could stay curled up next to your fireplace all winter long, we all have to get out there on the road eventually. And when you do, there’s a good chance you’ll hit some potential for reduced visibility at least once. Here are some of our best tips for increasing visibility in various situations (and hopefully avoid the need for auto body repair).

Headlights

Make sure your headlights are in working order. It’s that time of year again where things get darker earlier and by the time you’re heading home from the office the sun is more and more likely to be set. So checking your headlights to make sure everything is running smoothly is an important part of winter road visibility. Also knowing, confidently, how to switch between high beams and low beams is a good thing to have down pat before it gets crazy. There are situations where the high beams will come in handy, like if you’re driving in the country where there’s little external light after the sun has set, so knowing how to switch them on without taking your eyes off the road is important.

Keep Those High Beams Off

While there are situations where the high beams come in handy, it’s important to note that there are very few winter weather conditions where they will come in handy. In fact, in fog and snow, they are likely to make the problem worse. If you’re trying to run your high beams during a snowy day, you’re likely to get the light reflected off the snowflakes right back into your eyes, which only makes it harder to see ANYTHING, let alone the chunk of road in front of you and the bit of your surroundings you need to make smart driving decisions.

Keep Windows Clear

Walking outside to a car covered in snow can undeniably be a pain in the butt. We get it, but taking the time to fully clear all of your windows before getting on the road is a pretty big deal. Even a small amount of snow left on the sides of your window can decrease your visibility in crucial blind spots, making it more dangerous than you might think. It’s also a good idea, as we mentioned in a previous post, to make sure your defroster and climate control are working well to keep the windows from fogging up during the drive. Ensure your windshield wiper blades are in good condition and reaching all parts of the windshield as well so you can avoid accumulation of any white fluffy stuff that may be falling while you drive.

Visibility while driving is crucial year-round, it just so happens that the list of visibility enemies is a little longer in the winter. Add in the slightly more precarious nature of the roads in general when winter weather strikes and the reasons for keeping yourself as safe as possible is apparent. What are your best winter driving visibility tips?