Each Canadian season has its own unique driving challenges and springtime is no different. Here are some tips to help you drive more safely during the spring:
- Remember that even though the air temperature might be nice, the ground is still cold and possibly frozen. So you might be able to wear your t-shirt but your car might still slip on the ice.
- Potholes, which multiplied over the winter, are now much more dangerous than ever because they are not packed with frozen ice and snow. You might see them or you they might contain water but are hidden by a crust of ice. Be careful when driving and watch the cars in front of you to see if they hit potholes. Steer around potholes, especially because you don't know how deep they are.
- Now that the weather is nice, people are getting outside again. But being inside all winter has made them forget that they have to share the road with you. Watch for pedestrians who are oblivious to your car; in particular, pay close attention to kids who are eager to run around now that they are unencumbered by snow boots.
- The weather is fickle and can turn cold and snowy in a heartbeat. Be prepared with a coat and a hat and gloves and an ice scraper and low-temperature washer fluid. And don't forget that rain can turn to ice by dropping only a few degrees.
- Springtime snow melt turns gutters into rivers and those rivers can overflow onto streets. If a street has turned into a river, take another route. Avoid splashing through big puddles because you don't want to get water into your engine, you don't want to lose control by hydroplaning (and you don't want to splash nearby pedestrians, either). And, pooled water can hide other dangers (like potholes, washouts, and other hazards).
- Wash your car to clean any salt off of it. Salt may have been good to melt the ice but it can accelerate the rust on your car.
- As the spring weather continues and you move closer to summer, you can change your winter tires to summer tires, you can remove the shovel and cold-winter gear from your trunk, and you can replace your winter emergency kit with your summer emergency kit. Just don't do it too early!
Enjoy the weather because we don't get very long summers here in Canada! Look forward to it, get out into the great outdoors, and stay active all summer.
If you get into a collision while navigating our springtime roads, bring your car to Boyd Autobody & Glass. Our collision repair team will get your car fixed up and back on the road in no time!
