On your mark, get set, spin! Keeping winter safety in mind

  • Published
  • By Andy Swenson
  • 319th Air Base Wing Safety Office
GRAND FORKS AIR FORCE BASE, N.D. --  Some joke that North Dakota has two seasons: winter and road construction.

Well I have some bad news; road construction season is almost over and winter is knocking on the door! Long gone are the complaints of the heat, humidity and mosquitoes. Now we have leafless trees, frosty windows and the grumble of the furnace kicking on in the basement.

To the prepared, these changes come with little surprise and life if pretty good! Meanwhile, the procrastinators struggle to find the ice scraper, the shovel the kids broke playing baseball and to see through the blurred windshield due to bad wipers. Been there, done that at 6:30 in the morning before the commute to work.

That caused me to be off my routine, leaving me to push the limits of my abilities, my vehicle's equipment and ultimately increasing my risk of a mishap.

The real question is, "Where should my preparation begin?"

Your vehicle is a great place to start. I like to tell folks to focus on four groups: accelerating, seeing, stopping and what you will need if the others fail you - an emergency kit.

For acceleration, I group all things related to the engine and its performance; belts, hoses, ignition and all of the fluids. The goal here is to look for cracked/frayed belts, leaky hoses, a general sluggish or "not-like-new" sounding engine and to ensure the fluids are of a blend capable of surviving the winter.

Visibility is improved by inspecting windows, wipers, mirrors, wiper fluid levels and, of course, locating that missing ice scraper. Vehicles have natural blind spots; not having clear windows only complicates this and increases your odds of a mishap. Allow your vehicle to warm up so your heating system will melt the frost or snow from your windows.

Tire tread and the entire braking system are key to stopping. Tire tread can be measured by sticking a penny in head first. The idea is to ensure you have at least 1/8 inch of tread remaining, which is about the distance from the penny's edge to the top of Abe Lincoln's head. So if you can still see the top of his head, it's time to replace your tires.

Finally we arrive at the subject of an emergency kit. Without fail, every year I get asked what should I keep in my trunk. I always answer "depends." What I pack depends on the length of the trip, the time of year, severity of conditions and the number of occupants. This usually turns into a "what-if" conversation which always leads to a recommendation to do some research. There is a lot of information online as well as our own locally published Cold Hard Facts.

But the general consensus is the most valuable item in any kit is a fully charged cell phone. One recommendation is to place an old phone with a charger in your glove box. Don't worry about having a plan or having the phone activated. All phones usable in the United States will dial 911. If you are stranded in the middle of nowhere at below zero temps, an emergency call is warranted.

To some getting your vehicle ready is a task done from memory, others may have to read the owner's manual while some are best to leave it to the pros. Whichever suites you, the goal is to be prepared. It has been said that an ounce of prevention is worth more than a pound of flesh.