Ottawa Tires

Posts Tagged ‘Headlights’

Winter driving can be treacherous, even on cloudless days with no snow in sight. Black ice can become blended in with the asphalt, creating a huge risk and danger to those who are driving. So before you take your car out on the road, here are a few tips you should always keep in mind when driving in winter conditions.

1 – Always prepare your car. Know what weather conditions you’ll be facing once you hit the road. Make sure your car is properly fitted with snow tires and tire chains if necessary. Make sure your fuel tank is full, your wipers are ready, your battery charged, and that you have no leaks.

2 – Take supplies with you. You never know what the road can bring you. It’s a good idea to have a winter emergency kit on hand just in case of anything happens. Make sure you always carry a phone with you, along with a charger, in case of emergency. Keep some non-perishable food with you along with water. You should even take an extra set of clothes and a blanket. Even if you don’t plan on driving out of the city, emergencies can happen everywhere.

3 – Clean the snow and ice off of your car. Clean off the whole windshield, your hood and the top of your car. Don’t forget to clear your headlights and rear lights. By doing all of this, it creates a safer environment for yourself as a driver, and for other drivers on the road.

4 – Drive slow and steady. Avoid sharp turns or quick stops. Give yourself double the room between cars, as you would during normal weather. If you do start to slide, don’t panic, hit the brakes or jerk your wheel. Turn the wheel steadily in the opposite direction that you’re sliding. Slowly press on the brakes. If you don’t have anti-lock brakes, press on the brake pedal gently, let up, and press again until you come to a stop. For those with anti-lock brakes, simply press the brake pedal gently until your car stops.

5 – Don’t use cruise control. You need to be in control of your car at all times. If you are going over an overpass or a bridge, be aware that these areas are more incline to be icy.

6 – Use low-beam headlights when driving, because they make you more visible to other drivers from both the front and the rear.

7 – If you have rear-wheel drive, weigh down the rear with sandbags to give you more traction.

I have been living in San Diego for 31 years now and when I sum up this time I just can say:” Thank you god for creating such a great place in this wonderful world”. Everyone who has been here once will agree with me and knows what I mean when I say San Diego is one of the greatest cities: Beaches with white sand, girls with golden brown tans, and the Chargers, who play on a great green field. But not just the colors are varied, the people are as well. Asians, Spanish, Europeans and of course Americans so that I can proudly say San Diego represents and celebrates the multicultural way of life.

But a few weeks ago I had an experience that does not fit in my always positive life that I have been enjoying so much. After one of the numerous parties here in my hometown, I drove back home because I was pretty tired. I did not drink alcohol the whole night so that I would be able to drive my car the five miles to my blessed home. There was just one thing that made me slightly hesitant during the drive. My headlights are not the best anymore and it was pretty hard to see anything on the street. In addition, there were no lights on the sidewalk that could improve my sight. But I knew I was a very good driver and could handle this small risk.

I was nearly home when I suddenly saw three young girls in front of me. They were just two yards in front me and my brakes were not able to avoid this disaster, which is the reason for my many nightmares afterwards. Of course I called the police instantly and the officers arrived a few minutes later.

You can imagine how glad I was when I heard that the girls, who were pretty wasted this night, had no bad injuries and wouldn’t be handicapped due to this accident. I know I was very lucky and there is no excuse that I drove without good headlights. But there is no way to revoke this event so I just can do one thing: I have to draw a conclusion of my fault, which had nearly changed my life within a few seconds. The first conclusion was of course to drive more carefully than before, even if I can say that I was never a rude driver. But there is always a way to improve yourself and I always think of it now when I am sitting in my truck. The other logical conclusion was to purchase new headlights for my auto. And seriously it is such a big difference to get good powerful lights instead of old, not really working lights, which have no function anymore. This was the first time I could really enjoy driving at night, although I have to admit that I very often think about the three girls who fortunately left the hospitals a few days ago. I know it has nothing to do with the story itself but one of the girls is pretty hot and I spent last evening with her in a very nice restaurant. So if I sum up the whole story I nearly can say that the benefits I earned from it, outweigh the bad things. Maybe I can say in ten years that this night was the beginning of a great romantic love story that lead to a marriage.