Winter Driving Precautions And Theft Prevention
West Grand Neighborhood Organization
By Esteban Moreno, ATPA VIN Technician
With winter approaching, the roads are starting to get slick. The fall rains, frost and leaves on the road way make curves and hills slick. The upcoming snow will decrease traction even more. The better the tire the more traction. It’s not always necessary to buy snow tires. Usually a good all season tire with sufficient tread is effective. Keep your brakes in good working order. Having a bag of sand or salt, flares or portable hazard lights, a small snow shovel, and good snow scraper in the trunk is recommended. It also never hurts to keep a blanket, spare gloves, hat, food snacks and water in a sealed container.
When driving in slick weather reduce speeds and increase your distance or reactionary gap. If you lose traction or control, let off of the gas pedal, stay off of the brakes and steer through the slide. You can also reduce speed by slowing edging onto the shoulder. Try not to over correct to avoid a spin out. Make sure that the equipment on your vehicle is working properly. Periodically check your brake lights, running light, headlights and wipers.
It may cost a little but installing a remote starter would be safer than warming up the vehicle with keys in it. Never leave unattended children in the vehicle while it warms up or while you run in for a quick errand. As always don’t leave valuables visible. Never leave an extra set of keys, fob or title in the vehicle. Never leave the keys in the vehicle while parked in your garage. And always lock your vehicle while in your driveway, street parking or parking lots. Be sure to avoid odd even parking tickets. Don’t leave your vehicle covered with snow or plowed in while in the street to avoid 48 hour parking notices or towing.
For any further questions regarding vehicle theft prevention call West Grand Neighborhood Organization at 616-451-0150 or e-mail the West Grand Neighborhood Organization ATPA VIN Technicians at ATPA@westgrand.org another great way to protect your vehicle from Auto Theft is getting your car VIN Etched. Appointments for VIN Etching can be made for weekdays between 8:30 AM-10 AM FREE by going to the following link: Make an Appointment Now!
Funds for this program are provided by the Michigan Auto Theft Prevention Authority.