Our area goes through so many drastic weather changes all year round. The weather also affects our local driving conditions and how we adapt to them. We have just 4 simple tips for driving safe during the fall.
1. Keep A Close Eye On Your Tires
Your tires are extremely important. They are the only things touching the roads when you’re driving. The cold weather lowers the pressure in your tires and under-inflation can lead to dangerous driving. It also wears out your tires too quickly. You should check your tire pressure at least once a month. This includes checking the pressure in your spare tire as well. If you need to get new tires, now is a good time.
2. Be Aware Of the Fall Surroundings
There are some factors that arise during the fall in this area more than any other time of the year.
Out Of State Drivers – You’re driving behind a car from out of state and you’re thinking “Why are they driving so slow?” Most likely, they’re looking at the fall leaves. They cruise slowly hugging the side of the road and suddenly STOP because they want to take pictures. Make sure to keep a safe distance behind the “leaf peepers“.
The Fog – The fall means a lot of cold and wet mornings. This means foggy conditions all over our area. Remember to never have your high beams on driving through fog. The lights will bounce back and make visibility worse than low beams.
Return of The Frost – Morning frost and icy roads are very common during the fall. Be cautious that frost will affect your windshield, overpasses and bridges. Black ice may be in shaded areas on the roads during early or late hours of the day.
3. Check Your Brakes
You should have your complete brake system checked for safer fall driving. This includes drums, rotors and lines. Roads may have wet leaves all over them. The roads may have black ice. They may occasionally have light snow on them.
Always keep brakes on your mind this time of year. School’s open and that means buses constantly stopping and more kids walking on the roads. While we’re talking about roads, don’t forget about our local community of deer. It’s mating and hunting season and they are on the move. Watch out for deer leaping across the road, especially at night.
4. Test Your Battery
We cannot stress this tip enough, test your battery. If you don’t know how, schedule a service appointment or call us at 859-238-1197. We can test the battery for you. The cold weather is pretty harsh on your car and the battery is no exception to taking a frigid beating. Batteries have chemical reactions that are generating energy slowly because of the cold temperatures. Make sure your battery is in “tip-top” shape to insure your car will start on those freezing mornings.