This document provides tips for winter driving safety. It recommends checking weather conditions and road reports before driving, allowing extra time, and ensuring your vehicle is prepared with a clean windshield, full washer fluid, and properly inflated tires. It highlights hazards like obscured vision, slippery surfaces, and traction issues in different conditions. It stresses calling 911 in any accident involving injuries, vehicle damage or incapacitation and fully reporting any incidents involving company vehicles.

2. Before leaving home…
 Check weather at destination
 Check State of Colorado road condition website:
cotrip.org
 Check your favorite tv/radio station weather
report
 Allow extra time for your commute
 Fully clean windshield, side and rear windows and
headlight lenses
 Be sure your windshield washer reservoir is full
 Look at your tires: do they look low? Is a low tire
dashlight illuminated?
 De-ice car doors
 Fully warm vehicle and defrost all windows

3. How to jump a vehicle
To reduce chance of explosion of errant gases: hook negative cable
of dead car to a metal area – not the negative battery post (5D)

4. Obscured windshield- illegal and
dangerous

5. Clear all snow from roof as the
snow can suddenly shift forward or
rearward without notice and block
your vision or that of the driver
behind you!

6. Hazards- test brakes and driving surface in a safe
location
If your car is equipped with antilock brakes- be sure
You know what they sound like when activated and
how to use them most effectively

7. Recognize how slippery the surface
will be for both you and oncoming
traffic.
Learn how to recognize when black ice condition
exist on the road

8. Residential streets stay slippery
longer because of lower traffic
Residential streets with heavy snowfall may ha
unseen ice deep in the ruts

9. Lack of sunlight on road surface of
underpasses means they stay icy much
longer than nearby roads

10. Road surface on overpasses freezes and
gets icy much sooner than nearby surfaces

11. Be Aware that wheelchairs and walkers can lose
and gain traction at unpredictable times when
accessing vehicles.
Accessible vehicles are high profile thus are far more susceptible
to high wind buffeting under winter conditions

12. Carry traction mats or other similar devices in
your car in the winter (or mud and sand
conditions)
Practice “rocking” your car out of the tire ruts by using
alternate forward and reverse gears
Avoid over-accelerating when trying to regain traction

13. If in an accident and there is:
 Damage to any vehicle
 If there are injuries to any occupant
or
 If any drivers appear incapacitated
CALL 911!

14. In case of accident…
-provide 1st aid to all those in immediate need (if you are qualified
to do so)
-call 911
-obtain full information on all involved drivers
If a company car is involved: call 911 and then your supervisor.
Fully complete accident report and any necessary Incident Reports
and turn into your supervisor