As I said here dictating this blog post, our Connecticut roadways are once again being covered with snow. Despite the fact that we all know that driving in these conditions is quite dangerous, many people will leave their homes to engage in activities that are recreational in nature and expose the passengers in the car that is traveling on these roadways to the risk of being involved in a motor vehicle accident. Many people that drive during snowstorms do so with motor vehicles that are not roadworthy or do not have the safety devices necessary to operate with a reduced risk of spinning out on slippery surfaces. Still other people do not have much experience in driving in these conditions which creates a risk to all other drivers on the roads.
If you must drive in these situations, you should make sure that your car is roadworthy and that you perform a safety check to make sure that you are reducing the risk of being involved in an accident. For example, are all of your lights working and cleaned off? Has snow and ice been removed from your vehicle? Can you see out of all of your windows? Is your vehicle in a good state of repair? Do you have an ice scraper and deicer in your vehicle so that you can clean off your windshield once you are out and need to get back in your vehicle?
It is important that you leave yourself additional time when traveling on roadways that are covered in snow and ice. You need to leave plenty of distance between your vehicle and the car in front of you so that you are able to stop before hitting the car in front of you should the conditions leave the roads very slippery. You should avoid sudden vehicle movements and jamming on the brakes so you reduce the risk of your vehicle losing control on the slippery surfaces. If your vehicle starts to skid, you should take your foot off of the gas pedal and point the front of your car in the direction that you wish to go to. If you have a standard motor vehicle, then you should be operating in a low gear if possible. If you are driving up a hill it is important that you maintain your speed, whenever possible, without stopping which might cause your vehicle to spin out of control.
You should make it a point of cracking your window so that the hot air from your heater does not make you drowsy or sleepy. You should use your low beams at night so your visibility will be better. You should not drive in the left-hand Lane of a two lane highway, where there is no guard rail or median, which would put you into direct contact with any vehicle leaving the roadway coming from the other direction. You should also refrain from passing other cars whenever possible so that you reduce your risk of becoming involved in an accident.
We need to adapt the way that we normally drive, in the spring and summer months, to make accommodations for the more dangerous roadway conditions that exist during the winter months. Unfortunately many accidents occur, especially during snowfalls, so we must use extreme caution (and if possible avoid driving in these situations) whenever possible. If you are involved in an accident, which is caused by the fault of another, you need to contact an experienced Connecticut personal injury lawyer at the earliest possible moment so that you can have your rights explained to you so that you do not make any mistakes in how you go about proceeding with your personal injury case.
Our Connecticut accident attorneys and injury lawyers have written the book on Connecticut personal injury law. You can download a free copy of our book by visiting our website at www.HCWLAW.com. You can also speak with one of our experienced Connecticut personal injury attorneys by calling our toll-free number at 888-842-8466. If you would prefer, you can schedule a free, in office consultation, with one of our experienced Connecticut accident lawyers and have your rights explained to you in person. Do not delay and wait until you have made a mistake in attempting to handle your own Connecticut accident case. Contact us today to get this valuable free information.