Drive slowly, use common sense in winter driving

With the return of wintry weather this week, the Douglas County Sheriff's Office provided tips for safe driving:

-- The best advice for driving in bad winter weather is not to drive at all if you can avoid it. Don't go out for unnecessary trips or store runs.

-- Drive slowly and allow extra time to get to your destination. Even if you think you can drive your normal speed, others will likely be driving slower.

-- Travel with your cell phone.

-- Have an emergency kit in the vehicle which includes at a minimum a blanket, one gallon of water, dry food for one day survival (beef jerky, dried fruits, dried nuts), two road flares or reflective markers, flashlight with charged batteries, vehicle tow chain or tow strap, jumper cables, tire chains or cables for your vehicle, small mechanics tool kit, large bag of sand or kitty litter.

-- Brake gently to avoid skidding. Begin braking earlier and press more lightly than usual on the brake pedal. If your wheels start to lock up, ease off the brake pedal and steer into the skid.

-- Decrease your usual speed. Leave plenty of room to stop. You should allow at least 2-3 times more space than usual between you and the vehicle in front of you.

-- Always drive with headlights on, even in the daytime (it makes your vehicle more visible to oncoming traffic or drivers pulling out of side roads).

-- Keep your lights and windshield clean.

-- Use low gears to keep traction, especially on hills.

-- Be particularly careful on bridges, overpasses, infrequently traveled roadways or shady areas. These areas tend to freeze first, and stay frozen longer. Even at temperatures above freezing, if the conditions are wet, you might encounter ice in shady areas or on exposed roadways like bridges.

-- Don't pass snow plows and sanding trucks. The drivers have limited visibility, and you're likely to find the road in front of them worse than the road behind.

-- Don't assume your vehicle can handle all conditions. Even four-wheel drive vehicles can encounter trouble on winter roads. Many winter accidents have been caused by drivers of four-wheel drive vehicles driving too fast for conditions.

IF YOUR VEHICLE GETS STUCK

-- Do not spin your wheels. This will only dig you in deeper.

-- Turn your wheels from side to side a few times to push snow out of the way.

-- Use a light touch on the gas pedal to ease your car out.

-- Use a shovel to clear snow away from the wheels and the underside of the car.

-- Pour sand, kitty litter, gravel or salt in the path of the wheels, to help get traction.

-- Try rocking the vehicle. (Check your owner's manual first - it can damage the transmission on some vehicles.)

-- Shift from forward to reverse, and back again. Each time you're in gear, give a light touch on the gas until the vehicle gets going.