Expert from AAA offers tips for safe winter driving to OUWB community

Luck seems to be operating out for Oakland University William Beaumont Faculty of Medicine health-related pupils who have thus considerably averted possessing to drive in a excellent aged fashioned Michigan snowstorm. 

According to the National Weather conditions Assistance office environment in White Lake, a winter season storm is envisioned to influence the location on Wednesday with accumulating snow. That consists of an estimated 4-6 inches of snow predicted for Pontiac and its surrounding communities. Supplemental accumulation is envisioned on Friday and all through the weekend.

The predicted snowfall follows a dry wintertime — Oakland County obtained 10 inches significantly less precipitation than usual in December, and January has been on a equivalent speed, for every the Countrywide Integrated Drought Info Process operate by the Countrywide Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

But Michiganders know it’s only a subject of time ahead of snow rolls by, which is why OUWB not too long ago hosted a consultant from AAA — The Auto Club Group of Michigan, to communicate about driving and automobile safety in the winter.

“This event is always primarily helpful for our learners that occur from out of condition, but for any of us it is a very good refresher as we head into winter,” mentioned Katy Torma, administrative coordinator, Student Affairs.

“We spend so lots of months out of the 12 months driving in icy or snowy conditions that it’s essential to be organized for a assortment of scenarios that may perhaps come about,” she extra.

OUWB clinical students like Christian Santiago, M1, were being amid people who attended.

“I’m from Florida and we have no possibility of driving in snow, at any time,” he stated. “This was a fantastic probability for me to definitely understand the competencies I require to be ready for travel in Michigan or other parts of the Midwest.”

‘A minimal a lot more seriously’

Rachel Wilson, lead instructor, AAA – The Automobile Club Team of Michigan, offered the session in OUWB’s O’Dowd Corridor.

Wilson stated even for the most hardened Michigan driver, the initial large snow party of the calendar year can current issues.

“The very first time we get a snowstorm, it looks like we forget how to generate in it,” she claimed.

More, motorists who are new to snowstorms “may have no idea of how challenging it can be, and how different it can be than even driving in rain.”

If very little else, she reported, the hope is that everybody requires driving in a snowstorm “a little extra critically.”

Wilson talked at size about a single of the major concerns: reduced traction.

The crucial, she explained, is altering speed — the slower you go, the better traction.

“I’m chatting about different levels of how gradual you have to go,” she reported. “If it is just flurries, you may well have to gradual down 5 to 10 p.c. If there’s a large amount of snow, you may have to slow down so considerably you really feel like you are actually crawling.”

Wilson suggests drivers who are new to snow err on the side of caution until they get a really feel for driving in inclement winter season climate. One way to do so, she said, is discover a large open up parking lot in which there are no other vehicles, poles, etcetera., and hit the brakes at specified speeds.  

A further suggestion, she reported, is to enable for at minimum 7 seconds of stopping length in between your auto and the a single in entrance of you. This makes it possible for for a lot of room to shift in case of crisis.

“You often want to have a system B,” she claimed. “Make sure you can end in time if the car or truck in entrance of you all of a sudden hits the brakes.”

Other recommendations supplied by Wilson included:

• Heat your car or truck in an open up space with snow cleared absent (specifically all around the exhaust).
• Ahead of relocating your car or truck, apparent all home windows — not just just one “hole” the place you can see a fraction of the road.
• Clean up off the hood of your automobile to stay away from obtaining snow blow to the windshield and effectively making a “mini-blizzard.”
• If you start off to skid, appear and steer toward in which you want to go.
• Use safe driving procedures, these as putting on a seat belt and staying concentrated.
• Never be overly reliant on motor vehicle engineering, this kind of as rear cameras and other sensors that can be lined with dust, slush, salt, and so on.
• Keep your headlights on so other drivers can see you much better.
• If you have snow/ice construct up on your windshield wipers, get off the road and obvious them.
• If you get trapped, clear snow away from tires and try spreading sand or kitty litter close to your tires to gain traction.
• Prepare your automobile for safe travels (see graphic underneath).

For more information, make contact with Andrew Dietderich, promoting writer, OUWB, at [email protected].

To request an job interview, pay a visit to the OUWB Communications & Marketing webpage.

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