10 Driving Hacks to Get You Through Winters

During winters, snow makes driving a dangerous task. Roads get slippery and slick, making it easy for drivers to lose control of their vehicles, increasing the rates of accidents. Clouded fog and snowfall can limit the visibility of roads, making it hard for drivers to look through the turnarounds and where the other vehicles are heading, increasing the probability of accidents.

All these hazards call for proper care and maintenance of the vehicle as well as following driving hazards during winter to prevent unwanted accidents and inconveniences.

Get your vehicle Ready for Winter

To avoid unwanted inconveniences on the road during winter, the first step we suggest you take is to maintain and get your cars ready for hitting the snowy roads. Make sure your vehicle is operating safely before you get behind the wheel by taking safety precautions. To get yourself fully geared up for the winter roads, follow our 10 driving hacks

to get you through the harsh weather safely without having to face unwanted accidents and hassles.

10 Winters Driving Hacks

1. Protect Side Mirrors

We have all experienced ice-covered side mirrors in the mornings. It’s not possible to keep your entire vehicle snow-free unless you own a garage. However, keeping your side mirrors ice-free can be quite easy. While parking your car for the night, take two plastic bags big enough to cover the side mirrors, and wrap them around the mirror while securing them with a rubber band. Now, when you remove these bags in the morning, even if your car is covered in snow, you still get to enjoy perfectly snow-free squeaky-clean side mirrors.

2. Frozen Car Lock? Use Hand Sanitizer

In winter when you leave your car out in the open for the night, you are sure to experience a frozen lock in the morning. We have a simple hack for you. Just coat your car keys in hand sanitizer before you insert them into the lock. The alcohol in the sanitizer will melt the ice in the lock as it comes in contact with it, saving you a lot of trouble.

3. Throw a Hefty Rug on The Windshield

If you’re in a hurry in the morning, a snow-covered windshield is the last thing you want to worry about. We suggest that you throw a rug, piece of carpet, or any hefty cloth on your windshield. This will not let snow stick to glass, saving you a lot of time in the morning. Just remove the rug in the morning and you will have an ice-free windshield.

4. Use an Expired Credit or Gift Card to Swipe Ice

Now we’re not suggesting that you should not invest in a good ice scrapper, but of course, there will be times when the ice scrapper won’t be accessible. We suggest you use an old credit card, gift card, or anything plastic to scrape the ice away. Just make sure you are not using anything metallic, as it can damage the coating and windshield.

5. Use Shaving Cream on the Windshield

In winter, foggy windows are something we experience daily. If this is something troubling you all the time, you might want to invest a little effort. Grab some shaving cream and coat the inside of your windshield with a thin layer. Wipe it clean and watch the ingredient of the shaving cream act as a defogger.

6. Use a Penny to Check Tire Pressure

You cannot get your vehicle checked by professionals all the time to see if the tire treads are good to go for winter. We have a simple hack for you that will allow you to determine if your car tires are ready to hit the snowy slippery roads, or if you need to have your tired changed. Grab a penny and put it in one of your tire grooves while grasping Lincoln’s body with a finger and the head of the president pointing in the grooves. If the Lincoln head top is gone, the tires are ready for the road, if the head is visible, it’s time for a replacement.

7. Use Toothpaste to Clean headlights

Unclean headlights in winter, especially during snowy days, can be quite troubling for the driver as it can mess with their vision. A simple solution is to have your lights cleaned with toothpaste. This will add extra brightness to your lights, giving you extra brightness on the roads.

8. Park Facing East

If you can, make sure to park your vehicle facing east for the night. This will allow the sun to hit your car’s windshield in the morning, defrosting the stubborn ice. Once you are set to go, you can use your wiper blades to take care of the remaining frost left.

9. Washer Fluid – Fix for Wiper Blades

Make sure to fill your vehicle with washer fluid that is specific to cold weather. The fluid will help melt ice that could be stuck to wiper blades in the morning. If the ice isn’t thick, the washer fluid might even defrost the windshield ice.

10. Frozen Doors? Use Cooking Spray

Winter nights can cause your doors to get stuck due to snow. You can prevent your doors from freezing in the first place by spraying cooking oil on the door seals. Cooking spray, being waterproof will keep the doors from getting stuck.

Conclusion

Winters can bring a lot of inconvenience to car owners whether it’s frozen car locks, frozen doors, frosted windshields, or driving on snowy roads. With simple hacks that can easily be integrated into your winters, you can avoid a lot of trouble and save time in the morning and on the roads, without having to spend on costly tools.