Snow Safe Driver Tips

The snow continued to fall overnight making Louisville whiter and more magical in every way. Neighborhoods in real estate Louisville, which our team knows so well, look completely different. The bows of trees hold snow in a contrast of white on brown.

Front yards wear a blanket of white and many stairways are only visible by their rail sticking out of the snow. Deer prints can be seen alongside human tracks giving us insight into their nocturnal movements.

The roads however are cleared and wet forming pathways of shiny black cutting through the snowy landscape. It is these roads that cause so much anxiety during peak snowfall seasons. The snow and ice take familiar roads and transform them into surfaces we no longer understand.

So we thought it would be helpful to our customers, family, and friends to do some research and put together some snow safe driving tips.

Slow Everything Down

Like rain on the roadway, snow makes everything you do on the road slower. Stopping and turning take longer, so does your ability to see road obstacles. In fact, “hit the gas” should be completely removed from your vocabulary once snow hits the ground. Pushing the pedal down slowly avoids skidding and increases tire traction on road surfaces.

Open Everything Up

If stopping takes longer it follows that the distance required to bring your car to a stop will increase dramatically. This means you’ll need to start breaking much earlier than usual when you see a red stop sign, stop light, or break lights ahead. You should also more than double your following distance from other vehicles.

Don’t Stop When Going Up

Hills are undoubtedly trickier in the snow. It takes a lot more to get your car moving from a stop than it does if you’re just barely rolling forward. Add gravity pulling you down on a hill and you’re asking for trouble.

Ordinarily we step on our pedal in the middle of a hill. This won’t work in snowy conditions. Hitting the gas on a hill will cause your wheels to spin on a snow covered/icy road. You’ll want to instead increase your speed slightly before you get to the hill rather than on it.

The other safety option of course is just don’t leave the house! You could maybe work from home, watch a movie, or use our online helps such as our mortgage calculator and home value calculator or review our seller’s program or buyers program.

We also have several  helpful  blogs for those looking at the real estate Louisville market. Of course a lot of us have to go out in the cold and as such Scott Boehnlein and all at Family Realty hope these driving tips help. Keep safe in this winter weather.