Prepare for Winter Driving

Hey Everyone,

Here in Nashville, we got hit pretty hard with snow and ice yesterday. I measured the snow and we have about 7.5 inches of the white stuff. The weather reporters are saying that things are going to clear up but the snow and ice may get worse do to tempertures dropping tonight. I want to post some safe winter driving tips and a list of what you would need in a winter car kit. Yes, some of these maybe overkill but the Metro Nashville covers a vast area with many different types of terrain.


Here is the link to Tennessee Emergency Management Agency:
http://www.tnema.org/


The link will provided you with the information on how the roads and driving condition are around Tennessee. There is a link to the conditions by county and you can look at real time cameras of Nashville's roadways.


I did a search on the TNEMA website and found this PDF file that listed Winter Safe Driving Tips.
www.tdot.state.tn.us/mediaroom/snowbuster/driving_tips.pdf

Things that you need to have in your Winter Emergency Car Kit.
-flashlight with extra batteries
-charged cell phone/automobile charger
-basic first aid kit
-necessary medications
-pocket knife with can opener
-blankets or sleeping bag
-extra clothes (include rain gear, boots, mittens, socks)
-high-calorie, non-perishable food (MREs, dried/canned fruit)
-container of water (nalgene)
-windsheild scarpaer and brush
-fire exteinguisher
-shovel
-cat litter for generating traction
-basic tool kit
-tow rope
-battery jump cables
-road flares/reflectors
-brightly colored cloth to utilize as a flag to mark your location
-road maps

This list is intense, but I have traveled many places and all it takes is a split secoond and your in the ditch or ravine. You may have been seen or not and it is up to you to get help. As the scouts say "Be Prepared". I prefer to use an army wool blanket instead of a sleeping bag because it can stay warm when wet or dry. I also prefer headlamp instead of a flashlight do to being able to have hands free.

Be Safe
Bentley - VentureTree Team