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AMA provides tips for winter driving

Nov 15, 2018 | 4:14 PM

MEDICINE HAT, AB — Winter conditions are starting to get more common in Medicine Hat, and that means slippery roads.

The Alberta Motor Vehicle Association has provided some recommendations for driving in those icy conditions.

Ron Wilson with AMA Driver education says the first step to take when leaving for the day is to check road conditions, and reschedule your trip if possible.

If you can’t reschedule, make sure to clear off your front window, tail lights and windows to make you can see other drivers, and they can see you.

If you’re on dry roads going about 50 kilometres an hour you’d want about three seconds of following distance to the vehicle in front of you,but in bad conditions, you should go for four to six seconds.

Wilson says one of the biggest issues on the road is drivers that aren’t willing to slow down in bad conditions.

“Another big one is drive to conditions so the maximum speed posted is under ideal conditions,” says Wilson. “Always drive to conditions so if you’re on a road and it’s 50 and its icy or snowing out you wouldn’t want to drive 50, you’d want to reduce that speed.”

Wilson says an active safety step every driver should take is checking the tread on your tires, and checking the pressure at least once a month.