Being travel, winter ready

Shannon LeClair

Times Reporter

 

Ah, Christmas season – spending time with loved ones, and for many a time to spend travelling the sometimes-treacherous highways.
Each winter comes with its own challenges, but there are ways to stay safe while travelling.
“Take a look at weather forecasts, sometimes it’s better not to go, pick and choose when you’re going to go shopping, or when you’re going to visit friends,” said Strathmore RCMP Staff Sgt. Kevin Reilly.
Sometimes staying home isn’t an option, but there are other options available, like carpooling to hockey games if that’s why you need to leave home.
“If you do have to go out, be prepared, make sure your gas tank is full when you leave town, make sure you have some food so that if you get stuck for a day you’re not going to be starving,” said Reilly.
He suggests not travelling with less than half a tank of gas, stating that if it’s half, or above half, you can run your car for 24 hours and keep it fairly comfortable.
“You run it for 15 minutes if you’re in an accident, or if you hit the ditch and we can’t come and get you,” said Reilly.
He said if you end up in the ditch you can start your car for 10 minutes every hour or every two hours, and you won’t completely freeze. Obviously another good rule of thumb while travelling during the winter is to have blankets, warm clothing, jackets, toques and other items that can help warm you up. Having a cell phone charger is also ideal, and letting people know when you’re leaving, the route you’re taking and your expected arrival time can all also save you if you get into a situation.
“You’ve got to be prepared for the worst, and you’ve got to have heavy jackets, you’ve got to have blankets and enough for everybody,” said Reilly.
“The other big thing is if you are in that storm, contact us, let us know where you are, who’s all with you, that you’re all alright and stay in the car. The problem with blizzards is some people decide they’re going to get out and walk to the nearest something, and that is the most dangerous thing you can do.”
Another big no-no, and one that is a danger not only to you but everyone else trying to make it home or wherever safety is, do not just stop in the middle of the road.
The plow truck drivers need to be able to see a certain distance in front of them to go the minimum speed required to move snow. If a person stops in the middle of the road and the plow driver doesn’t see them until too late, someone will likely end up killed. The same goes for other drivers travelling: if you can’t see they probably can’t either and you are adding to the risk by not trying to pull off of the road.
“If you’re in a blizzard you have to get off the road and get off to the shoulder, and if it’s getting to the point you have to stop, you should have got off that road much sooner,” said Reilly.
If you can’t afford to buy an emergency kit from somewhere like Canadian Tire or Home Hardware, then go online and Google what you could put in your kit. Take into consideration that some items listed may not be necessary for your vehicle.