(Undated)– This past weekend should serve as a reminder to get that vehicle winterized, if you haven’t already. Trooper Kevin Krull of the Iowa State Patrol says the number one thing to check is those tires…
“If you’re one of those that need to think about buying new tires, maybe it’s time to get out there and actually make that purchase and get some good tires on your vehicle. But at the very least we need to all check our tire pressure to make sure with the fluctuating temperatures that we get that checked out to make sure our tires are in good working order and they’re in good shape because the tires are going to get us down the road. But we also need to able to see the road. That’s where the windshield wipers come into play. We want to make sure we check our wiper blades and get a good set of wiper blades, whether it’s winter blades or all-season, just make sure they’re doing their proper job and put some good cold weather fluid in there so that you can make sure that if you do get that slushy material built up or that road wetness come up on your windshield you can actually get it removed so you can still see and get down the road.”
And chances are you did some searching over the weekend for that frost scraper and brush…
“Have that windshield scraper with a brush in there. Use it before you leave. Warm that vehicle up so that your defroster has a chance to work. A trick my dad taught me was crack that window just a little bit, that driver’s side window just a little bit, to help get that airflow moving through there and it doesn’t fog up on the inside then as well, because the outside fogs over but when you get in that your breath will create a fog or a little bit of a glaze-over on the inside, so make sure your windshields are clear, the side windows are clear, but make sure you’re clearing that snow that’s on the hood off so it doesn’t come back on your windshield. Also take it off the top and off the trunk. It’s not going to affect your driving but it will affect the person that you meet or behind you.”
Krull says doing those things now could save you some real headaches later.
