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Tag: winter driving

  • Winter Coats: Dangerous In Car Seats?

    Winter Coats: Dangerous In Car Seats?

    Winter coats are essential this time of the year for much of the nation.

    This is especially true for children, who must get out and go to school and daycare in the frigid early mornings.

    However, experts say parents need to keep car seat safety at the forefront of their minds, even on cold days.

    They want you to think twice about strapping your child into their car seat with that heavy winter coat or sweater on.

    Trooper Chris Ray said, “Now when it is cold, we do know that those kids are going to be bundled up, they’re going to be wearing jackets, the straps aren’t going to be quite as tight.”

    Ray added, “Parents are going to let those out, and that’s when we run into a problem keeping those kids secure because they’re able to wiggle out of that harness and then they’re loose. And if there is a crash, the injury is going to be more substantial.”

    Obviously, it’s freezing outside in much of the nation right now and it’s only going to get worse. But, you definitely don’t want to create space between your child’s chest and the harness or expand the harness for a winter coat and forget to tighten it back.

    So, what can be done to keep kids with winter coats safe in their car seats?

    Trooper Ray said, “So what we recommend is go ahead and take the jacket off, and just cover them with a blanket.”

    He added, “Make sure the straps do hold them in securely. But again we do recommend that you read the owners manual or go to the website for the manufacturer of that car seat, they’ve got some great tips.”

    He also said you could buckle your child in, then stick their arms through the arms of the coat backwards.

    We need to all remember to do all that we can to be sure the kids are buckled in right. It’s not only the freezing cold season, it’s also a season with a lot of traffic accidents due to slick roads and low visibility.

    How do you strap your kid in while they are wearing a winter coat?

  • Snow Tires: When And If They Should Be Put On

    Snow tires are great if you happen to live in a cold climate that sees a lot of snow and ice.

    They help with braking on slippery surfaces and keeping a grip on the road when driving in wintery weather, but when are you supposed to switch over to snow tires from regular tires?

    Carolyn Goard, communications manager with the TRAC, which represents Canadian tire manufacturers and importers, says that you should put them on about two weeks before snow is expected.

    Regular tires tend to harden in cold weather, making it harder for them to keep a grip on the road. Snow tires, made especially for all kinds of cold weather conditions, stay softer when the weather gets brutal.

    “There is nothing wrong with getting a head start and putting them on in, say, October,” Goard says. “Many people are pro-active about getting their winter tires on a bit earlier so that they are prepared when the first big snow comes.”

    However, she also cautioned against putting on the snow tires too early in the season, as it can cause unnecessary wear.

    “If your vehicle is wearing winter tires in the summer, or year-round, they are going to wear out a heck of a lot quicker because they are not manufactured to be used during the months other than the winter months,” Goard said.

    Also, apparently snow tires don’t perform as well as all-season tires when the weather isn’t cold. In tests by Consumer Reports, snow tires took an average of almost 23 feet further to stop from 60 mph on a dry track. On a wet track, it took snow tires over 40 feet further to stop.

    If you don’t live in an area that gets a ton of snow and wintery weather, it’s best to check with a local tire dealer for a recommendation on whether or not to use snow tires.

    Drive safely this winter!