Winter in northwest Indiana means rain, sleet, snow, and other inclement weather conditions. These weather extremes can result in car accidents, injuries, and wrongful deaths in the worst-case scenarios. That is why our Merrillville personal injury team wants to arm you with Indiana winter driving safety tips, so that you’re prepared for the challenging weather that the season brings.
Prepare Your Vehicle for Indiana Winter Driving
You’ve taken precautions to prepare your vehicle for summer driving, now it’s time to prepare for Indiana winter driving. By making time to properly maintain your vehicle you can help ensure that you are not caught by surprise by a tire blowout or an engine stall on a cold winter road.
Here are a few steps to take to help prep your vehicle for winter driving in Indiana:
- Check tire tread before winter starts
- Check air pressure regularly as cold temperatures will reduce it
- Check and charge car battery
- Replace windshield wipers
- Fix your heater if broken
- Check lights (headlights, taillights, brake lights, safety lights, fog lights, and turn signals)
- Keep your fuel tank full to reduce the chance of condensation and ice forming
- See a mechanic to check brakes, oil, antifreeze, and winter windshield wiper fluid
- Stock your vehicle with an emergency kit to include first-aid kit, blanket, sturdy shoes, shovel, flares, water, non-perishable food, tool kit, and jumper cables
Getting Ready to Drive in the Winter
The next step to prepare for Indiana winter driving is to make sure that you and the other drivers in your life do what’s necessary to help prevent a car accident. In an effort to reduce winter driving accidents, the Indiana Department of Transposition (INDOT) promotes winter safety tips with its Ice and Snow, Take it Slow! campaign.
How to help prevent an accident
Here are a few winter driving safety tips provided by INDOT:
- Check weather conditions before traveling
- Give yourself extra time to reach your destination
- Clear any ice/snow from your windshield and lights so that you can see and be seen
- Take it slow and leave plenty of room between you and other vehicles to brake
- Be extra cautious when approaching intersections, off-ramps, bridges, and shady areas, as they are hot spots for black ice
- Stay four car lengths away from snow plows and other government maintenance vehicles
- Never pass a snowplow on the right as you may end up tangling with the snow and sand being pushed and spread from that side of the vehicle
Steps to take in case of a winter car accident
It’s also important to do what you can to prepare for a winter car accident emergency. Why? Because having a general idea of what to do in advance can make a world of difference if you do end up injured in a roadside accident.
The following steps are advised in case of a winter car accident:
- Call the police
- Seek medical attention if necessary
- Exchange contact and insurance information
- Take photos of all vehicles involved and any injuries
- If possible, stay in your vehicle and avoid standing near the road to prevent a secondary accident and injury
- Write down what you remember before, during, and directly after the accident
- Call a personal injury attorney before speaking with an insurance company to help ensure you receive any compensation that you may deserve
Suffer an Indiana Winter Driving Accident?
Were you or a loved one injured in an Indiana winter driving accident because of the negligence or recklessness of another driver? If so then please reach out to our Merrillville personal injury attorneys as soon as possible. You may be entitled to seek compensation for your injuries, lost wages, and other damages.
Contact us 24/7 for a free case evaluation by calling 219-227-4993, chatting with a LiveChat representative, or sending us more details about your accident through an online case review form. With a proven track record of billion-dollar results and a commitment to helping clients carry the emotional burden of the injuries, Lerner and Rowe is the way to go.