Extreme Weather Driving Guide

Driving Strategies

• Turn on your lights but not your high beams; the extra-bright light from high beams can reflect off the water and shine back into your eyes.
• Slow down. Stay below the speed limit, and leave five seconds or more of following distance between your car and the car in front of you.
• Never use cruise control on wet roads. You need to be able to “feel” the tire traction, or loss thereof, through the car’s accelerator.
• If water is covering the markings on the road, it’s too deep to drive on. You can lose control with as little as three inches of moving water on the road.
• Consider your route: If it runs through low-lying underpasses or past ditches prone to flooding, take the highway instead.
• A few times a month, clean the outsides and insides of windshields and windows, and inspect your windshield wiper blades for wear. Check the level of your washer fluid once a month.

Driving Strategies

• If you come upon a flooded or barricaded road while driving, turn around and go the other way. “Your vehicle can float off the road when there’s just three inches of moving water,” says James Solomon of the National Safety Council. Six inches of water could cause your car to stall.
• If you’re caught on a flooded road and waters are rising rapidly, get out of the car quickly and move to higher ground.
• If you evacuate an area due to flooding, be certain that floodwaters have receded before returning.

Driving Strategies

• Safely pull to the side of the road. Turn on the emergency blinkers, turn off the engine, and don’t touch metallic objects that connect to the outside of the car—like door and window handles, radio dials, gearshifts or the steering wheel. Simply wait out the storm.
• If you’re in a hard top, stay inside your car with the windows rolled up. You’re much safer inside a vehicle than outside, advises FEMA. Soft tops provide less protection; so if you’re driving one, it’s best to find other shelter.
• Remain in your car for at least 30 minutes after hearing the last clap of thunder, advises NOAA.

+ Myth Debunker: What to do if your car gets struck by lightning

Driving Strategies

• If possible, seek shelter in a sturdy building. If nearby shelter isn’t available, stay in your car and do not try to outrun the tornado. Then follow these recommendations from NOAA: Park your car as quickly and safely as possible out of the traffic lanes. Stay in the car with your seatbelt on. Put your head down below the windows, covering it with your hands and a blanket, coat or other cushion if possible. Only leave your car if you can safely get noticeably lower than the level of the roadway. Lie down in that area and cover your head with your hands.

Driving Strategies

• Driving through a hailstorm raises the risk of severe damage, so safely pull over to the side of the road and stay in your car until it passes.
• Parking in a garage or parking ramp is ideal. But if you can’t find cover, head to a parking lot, turn on your emergency flashers, and angle your car so that the hail hits the front of your vehicle. Front windshields are reinforced to withstand pelting objects; side windows and back windshields are more susceptible to breaking.
• If you have a sunroof, pull the shade slider closed. Try to position yourself away from the sunroof; hail could shatter it. Cover yourself with a blanket.

Driving Strategies

• Keeping your tires in tune will help prevent your car from hydroplaning on wet roads. Make sure to rotate and balance your vehicle’s tires every other time you have your oil changed. (Check your owner’s manual to see how often you should take your car in.)
• Drive 5 to 10 miles slower than the speed limit when roads are wet, and even slower in heavy rain or windy conditions. Sudden increases in speed, such as those required to pass, put you at a greater danger of hydroplaning. Avoid sudden acceleration.
• Avoid driving over any spot where you see standing water.
• Never use cruise control when it’s raining or while driving on wet roads. If you start hydroplaning, immediately take your foot off the accelerator. Don’t hit the brakes; this can cause your car to skid out of control.
• If you do start to skid, turn the wheel in the direction you want the front of the vehicle to go. Don’t be afraid if you can’t steer out of the skid on the first try. It may take three to five adjustments to get back on course.
• Wait to feel the tires reconnect with the surface of the road. If you’re (understandably) shaken, pull over where you safely can and collect yourself.

Driving Strategies

• Watch out for pavement that looks dark, wet or like new asphalt.
• Slow down and keep your foot off the brake as your vehicle crosses these areas.
• Increase the gap between your car and the vehicle in front. You may need to allow up to 10 times the normal distance for braking.
• Black ice will make your steering feel light. Respond by easing off the accelerator and being delicate with your steering movements.
• To slow down on ice and snow without locking your wheels, take your foot off the accelerator and use your brakes gently.

Driving Strategies

• Even if there’s only a dusting of snow, slow down; you’ll need more time to react to unexpected situations.
• Braking ability can be severely impaired in snow, so leave at least eight seconds between you and the vehicle in front. Even in light snow, when compared with dry conditions, it can take up to double the distance to stop.
• If at all possible, don’t stop on inclines (like highway ramps), where you risk losing traction. And take special care driving downhill.

Driving Strategies

• Make sure you’re driving slowly; give yourself more time than you think you need to turn or brake.
• Make yourself as visible as you can to others on the road. Turn on your headlights, including fog lights if you have them. Consider turning on your hazard lights, too, if you drop below the speed limit.
• If the whiteout conditions obstruct your view or you don’t feel you can control your car, look for the nearest exit to wait out the storm.
• If there’s no other option, when safely possible, pull to the side of the road, turn on your hazard lights, and wait for the whiteout to subside. It’s safer if you can get to a shoulder of a road, where cars are moving slower; that will help reduce the chance of a high-speed accident.

Survival Strategies

• Remain in your vehicle, where rescuers are most likely to find you, suggests FEMA. Go outside only if there’s a building nearby where you know you can take shelter. And be aware that what seems “nearby” may be misleading; distances can be distorted by blowing snow.
• Run the engine and heater for about 10 minutes every hour to keep warm. When the engine is running, open an upwind window slightly for ventilation, to protect you from possible carbon monoxide poisoning. Periodically clear snow from the exhaust pipe.
• Try to keep your body moving to generate heat and help prevent frostbite, but avoid overexertion. In extreme cold, use seat covers and floor mats for insulation. Huddle with passengers and use your coat for a blanket.
• If stranded in a remote area, stomp large block letters in an open area spelling out HELP or SOS and line them with rocks or tree limbs to attract the attention of rescuers who may be flying overhead.
• Leave the car and proceed on foot—if necessary—once the blizzard passes.