How to deal with ice and freezing rain

AAA offers tips for drivers

By AAA of Western and Central New York

The forecast for Western and Central New York region includes snow, sleet and freezing rain Wednesday night into Thursday morning. As the weather turns, AAA Western and Central New York has helpful tips for drivers.

Frozen Windshields

√ If you have access to a garage or a carport, use it! If you park outside, try to avoid parking under tree branches, power lines or other objects where ice could fall and strike the vehicle.

√ Make sure your wipers are turned off before you exit the vehicle. Avoid starting a vehicle with wipers turned on that may be frozen in place.

√ Make sure you have a quality ice scraper to effectively scrape away ice once it begins to soften up. Avoid pounding on the ice and don’t use your scraper on painted surfaces.

√ Make sure that you have a full supply of winter-quality windshield washer solvent.

√ There are commercial deicer products that can be used to help melt away ice from your windshield or your locks.

Frozen Car Doors

√ Doorjamb gaskets can be wiped down with a good quality silicon spray product on a rag before temperatures fall. Make sure you check the product label for hazards.

√ Use a commercial lock deicer product on frozen door locks and keys.

•Tips for driving in the snow/icy conditions:

√ Accelerate and decelerate slowly. Applying the gas slowly to accelerate is the best method for regaining traction and avoiding skids. Don’t try to get moving in a hurry. Remember: It takes longer to slow down on icy roads.

√ Increase following distances. The normal dry pavement following distance of three to four seconds should be increased to eight to 10 seconds. This increased margin of safety will provide greater distance to stop.

√ Know your brakes. Whether you have antilock brakes or not, the best way to stop is threshold braking. Keep the heel of your foot on the floor and use the ball of your foot to apply firm, steady pressure on the brake pedal.

√ Don’t power up hills. Applying extra gas on snow-covered roads may only result in spinning your wheels. Try to get a little momentum going before you reach the hill and let it carry you to the top. Try to avoid stopping while going up a hill. As you reach the crest of the hill, reduce your speed and proceed downhill as slowly as possible.

A digital roadside request is the fastest way to request AAA service. Simply go to www.AAA.com/RoadService or download the AAA mobile app. To place a phone call, dial 1-800-AAA-HELP.

As upstate New York’s largest member services organization, AAA Western and Central New York provides more than 862,000 members with travel, insurance, financial and automotive-related services. Since its founding in 1900, AAA has been a leading advocate for the safety and security of all travelers. Visit AAA at www.AAA.com.