4 Costly Winter Driving Habits

During the winter, the cold weather can often make it more difficult for us to make good driving decisions. To help you avoid the bad habits that often accompany the change in seasons, we have compiled a list of some of the worst ones to help you identify if you need to make some changes to your habits.

Driving with all-season tires
All-season tires, contrary to public opinion, do not actually protect you all year round. All-season tires become much less effective after the temperature drops below 7 degrees Celsius. After that, the best protection for you and your family is winter tires, which are specially designed to get better grip in cold weather.

Not clearing snow completely off your vehicle
If not cleared completely, snow from your vehicle can blow into your windshield or the windshield of other drivers. Be sure to remove all snow from your windshield, hood and roof. This will prevent you from getting into a collision, and also prevent others from getting into collisions as well.

Leaving your car running unattended
When the temperature drops, it may be tempting to put your key in the ignition and leave your car running while you go back inside the office to finish off some work. While you may think your parking spot is safe, it only takes one opportunistic criminal to pass by at the wrong time for you to have your car stolen.

Keeping your doors unlocked to stop the locks from freezing
In the winter months, it's possible for your locks to freeze up, leaving you unable to open up your vehicle. Some drivers will leave their doors unlocked in order to avoid the frustration of being locked out. However, it's an obvious security problem to leave your vehicle unlocked for days on end. Thankfully there is a very cheap solution: a $2 de-iced that can be purchased from hardware and convenience stores.