How to get ahead of the risks associated with autumn driving.
The fall.... some love it because of its colourful landscapes, while others see it as the precursor to the most dreaded of seasons, winter. Regardless of where you fall on this “love-hate” spectrum, autumn requires that you hone your most important driving skill: the ability to adapt!
Below are the two main risks associated with fall driving, followed by tips to help you reduce them.
It’s dark!
As autumn progresses, we find ourselves increasingly driving in near or total darkness. No more driving our kids to and from school - or commuting to work and back home - in broad daylight! So as fall approaches, check to ensure that all of your vehicle’s lights are functioning as they should . This will help you both see and be seen.
Turn your lights on as soon as it gets dark out or starts to rain (remember that your car's taillights may not automatically come on when your daytime running lights do). Better still, your vehicle may have an “AUTO” option that turns on your lights as soon as it starts to get dark. If so, use it!
It’s cold!
Leaves aren't the only thing to fall in the autumn. The temperature will also drop quickly. When the time comes to don a jacket, you should think of preparing your vehicle for the colder weather. Summer tires, and particularly high-performance ones, increasingly lose their grip on the road as the temperature falls.
Most summer tires, in fact, become significantly less efficient when the temperature is below 7°C . So knowing that winter tires are for more than just driving in the snow, why wait until the very last minute to have them installed? Especially since that the deadline for doing so has been moved forward, to December 1 . (PS - now might be as good a time as any to make an appointment...!)
What more, when water and dry leaves fall on a roadway that’s already cool (the sun no longer warming it up as it does in the summer), conditions can get very slippery very quickly. Slow down and stay far away from other vehicles to avoid any nasty surprises!
