Regardless of how many winters drivers in upstate New York have navigated snow and ice-covered roads, extra care is necessary as each winter comes around. Complacency causes many car accidents, often with devastating consequences. Safety authorities recommend specific tips to avoid crashes in extreme weather conditions.
The first steps for vehicle owners are to check windshield wipers, fill-up the washer fluid container and ensure that tire treads are safe. Authorities also recommend that cars are equipped with shovels, jumper cables, flares, ice scrapers and ropes. Additional emergency supplies include extra sets of warm clothes, blankets, flashlights and portable radios. Informing a responsible person the details of the planned route, destination and estimated arrival time is a good idea.
Before driving off, drivers should remove all the snow and ice from their vehicle and adjust their driving techniques and speed according to prevailing road and weather conditions. They should also allow extra time and be patient when encountering a snowplow. Drivers should stay well behind it and not attempt to pass it. Extra caution is required when driving across bridges because their surfaces freeze faster than other roads.
While taking the necessary care to arrive at their destination safely, New York drivers must also keep a lookout for other drivers whose negligence might cause car accidents. When that happens, injured victims might have grounds to pursue personal injury claims for financial relief through the New York civil justice system. In worse case scenarios that caused loved ones’ deaths, wrongful death lawsuits could yield compensation to cover end-of-life expenses, lost income, and other economic and non-economic losses and damages.