Are you keeping winter under surveillance?

Winter driving tips to keep you and your family safer

BURNABY, B.C., Jan. 3, 2012 /CNW/ - British Columbia drivers may feel like they are at war with the elements during the winter months. Snow, black ice and fewer daylight hours can increase the risk of a crash.  Here's how you can reduce the risk and keep yourself, your family and other drivers safer on the roads this winter.

First, check travel and weather conditions before heading out and avoid driving if they are bad. Even an hour or two can make a big difference. If you can, wait until the weather improves.  If you don't have to go, then don't.

If you have to drive, be smart. Make sure your vehicle is winterized, give yourself lots of extra time to get where you need to go and carry an emergency survival kit.

Download the following websites to your phone or add them to your web page favourites and check them often.

• DriveBC.ca is a good source of current road and travel conditions.
• ShiftIntoWinter.ca has tips on how to prepare yourself and your vehicle, and how to drive safely on winter roads.

Here are a few other safety tips:

• Install four matched winter tires. They provide better stopping power and traction in cold weather and snow. Check for wear before mounting and check tire pressure every few weeks.
• Equip your vehicle with emergency gear in case you become stranded. Carry a windshield scraper and snow brush, extra windshield washer fluid, flares and matches or a lighter, tire chains and gloves, a first aid kit, a shovel and a traction mat, sand or cat litter, a flashlight and extra batteries, battery jumper cables, a spare tire, a wheel wrench and jack, and extra clothing and footwear.
• Slow down. The posted speed is the maximum speed under ideal conditions. In winter, it is safer to drive below the posted limit.

The Winter Driving Safety Alliance is a joint provincial initiative comprised of organizations committed to improving the safety of drivers during the winter months. They are BCAA Road Safety Foundation, BC Trucking Association, Insurance Corporation of BC, Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure, RCMP, BC Road Builders and Heavy Construction Association, WorkSafeBC, and the Trucking Safety Council of BC.