Get Ready for Winter Driving

Denise GillinRisk Management

Timothy W. Braun, Risk Control Specialist, offers these winter driving tips and resources.

The winter season promises shimmering white landscapes and invigorating outdoor activities. But the season also can bring difficulties that travelers need to be ready for. It’s important that the vehicle, the driver and travelers are prepared for the journey. Snow and ice make for slippery pavement. Stopping distance goes up. Traffic will be slowed by the snowy or icy conditions. Heavy snow or sleet can reduce visibility. Traffic dangers and travel delays might result from obstructions due to snow accumulation, stuck vehicles or vehicles out of control.

According to the U.S Department of Transportation, 24 percent of weather-related vehicle crashes occur on snowy, slushy or icy pavement and 15 percent happen during snowfall or sleet. Over 1,300 people are killed and more than 116,800 people are injured in vehicle crashes annually on snowy, slushy or icy pavement.

Fortunately there are a number of resources that can help.

Murray offers the Succeed  Risk Management Tool free to our customers. Training shorts, webinars and PowerPoint presentations are available through Succeed with information on preparing for inclement weather travel, and techniques that can be employed to avoid the dangers encountered. Other resources available are winter driving tips from the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration, or the OSHA winter driving webpage. PENNDOT also offers some very practical winter driving tips  as well as tips for preparing your vehicle for winter travel on their website.

For more information, contact Tim at 717.224.1835 or your Murray Risk Control Consultant at 717.397.9600.

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