Winters here, in the Great White North, can be extreme. No one ever expects it will happen to them, but a winter storm in Canada can spell trouble for any driver. Think blocked and icy roads, decreased visibility and battery problems. All this can have you stuck in the snow without a way home.
No one wants to be left out in the cold without the basic knowledge of what to do in this situation. Navigating a Canadian winter can be tricky, but we’ve got you covered with the best tips for a winter storm. Hint: It’s more than adapting your driving for the icy roads.
Here are OK Tire’s top tips for surviving a winter storm:
Be prepared
The Scouts were onto something with the motto “Be Prepared”. Keeping a few essentials in your vehicle, including an emergency kit with spare food, water and additional tools, will ensure you’re as prepared as possible for waiting things out. Emergency kits with tools, jumper cables and other essentials are available at most OK Tire locations, so check out our easy to use store locator to find a store near you and pick one up before heading out!
Notify someone
Make sure someone knows where you are. That means calling friends or family, contacting emergency services and telling everyone your location. After you’ve let someone know where you are, start setting up flags to make yourself more visible to passers-by.
Don’t get exhausted
Check and make sure your exhaust isn’t blocked or covered. If your exhaust can’t properly filter out harmful emissions, it poses a danger to everyone in the vehicle. The build-up of carbon monoxide is toxic, so clear any snow or ice away so your exhaust can function properly.
Stay inside
Though it can be tempting to stay outside hoping to flag down help, you might be waiting a while. Consider staying inside your vehicle to keep warm while you wait out the storm. A combination of warm clothes and blankets, as well as occasionally turning on your vehicle to heat things up, will prevent you from getting too cold without running down your gas or battery. Pro tip: Move around as much as possible inside your car to keep your blood circulating.
Remain calm
If the storm is bad enough that you’re stuck on the side of the road, you likely won’t be going anywhere in the near future. So, the best thing you can do is hunker down and wait it out. Over-exerting yourself and wasting your energy won’t do you any good, so try to relax while you wait.
Being prepared is sometimes all you can do, because you never know when an unexpected snow storm can hit you up here in the Great White North! We want everyone to enjoy their Canadian winter safely, so if you haven’t already, head on over to your local OK Tire to learn how to prepare yourself for the rest of winter!
Now if you end up stuck in the middle of a snow storm, you’ll handle the situation without breaking a sweat.
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