Lower Your Car Insurance with Safe Driving Tips for Winter

EINSURANCE.comTM

You know the drill: make fewer claims, get fewer unpleasant surprises when you renew or shop for car insurance quotes. Before the weather outside gets frightful, review these tips to prevent vehicle breakdowns, avoid accidents and keep your auto insurance premiums low.

  • Drive defensively. You can’t stop as quickly and you don’t have as much steering control on wet, snowy or icy roads. Slow down and reserve your tailgating for the big game.

  • Beware of black ice, that thin, nearly invisible coating of ice that forms on paved surfaces, especially in areas shielded from sunlight. If you hit a patch, keep your steering wheel fixed in its current location. Never brake or accelerate, instead try to coast over the slippery patch. Should you begin to fishtail, turn your wheel slowly in the direction you’re drifting toward.

  • Get your oil changed to the correct winter viscosity.

  • Have your coolant system drained or flushed and refill with a 50-50 mix of anti-freeze and water.

  • Winter freezes can cause brittle, frayed or cracked belts and hoses to break. Check and replace them now to avoid being stranded.

  • Modern cars put a constant drain on batteries. Have yours checked to make sure it can hold a full charge. If not, replace it. While you’re under the hood, check your connections for corrosion

  • Tire traction is critical on wet or icy roads. Keep your tires properly inflated and check them more frequently in cold weather since air pressure drops about one pound psi for every 10- degree drop in temperature.

  • Replace windshield wiper blades front and rear. Fill your washer reservoir with a winter-grade fluid. Now you can see that car stopped ahead of you and avoid a rear-end collision.

  • Keep an emergency kit in your trunk. Basics include flash light, flares, extra cell phone battery, water, high-energy snack bars, a heavy blanket, boots, gloves, ice scraper, a bag of non-clumping kitty litter or sand, jumper cables, spare tire, jack, snow chains and a first-aid kit

  • Keep your gas tank as full as possible.




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