I don't mean to lecture anyone here. Most of you know better than I do. I only mean to share my practices so that guests and visitors here can learn what I do. People can adopt or ignore any of my practices.

1. Make sure Engine Coolant does not freeze
My first car was a Pontiac and I forgot I added tons of water to coolant during summer. Winter comes, water freezes, and water bursts the water-lines in the engine. There goes the car. So now, I always make sure I have good concentration of coolant in there.

2. Warm up
A freaking cold car makes you uncomfortable and nervous. You cannot pay full attention to the road. Your attention and driving performance are reduced dramatically. Chances are good for an accident to happen. I always warm up the car to at least 60-degrees. Those of you who never touched the temperature dials, LISTEN UP. Crank it to all the way RED. Face the vents towards the steering wheel and the seat. Crank up the fan speed too. Also, don't forget to turn on the seat heater if you have one. If you park outside, clean all the windows. DO NOT SCRAPE. I always mix anti-freeze with hot water and throw on windows to clear the ice after I dust away the snow. Rule of thumb: Bath-tub hot water will not crack the window glasses, coffee-pot hot water will. Do not throw pure water as it will freeze. Always mix anti-freeze. If you are warming your car outside and you are going back in to your house or your office, this is a 2-key operation. You'd better have 2 keys and better know how to lock the car with another key while one key is in ignition.

3. Windows clean & Light on.
All windows must be clean of snow and ice. Turn the headlights on so that loonies with fogged up windows can see you.

4. Easy on gas
Hitting the gas aggressively is a good way to spin your car out of control. We don't want that now, do we? Hitting the brakes aggressively is even worse when you do not have ABS.

5. Understand ABS
ABS just helps keep your car straight. It does not help it stop in a short distance as you desire. As a matter of fact, the braking distance is LONGER with ABS brakes.

6. Know your car
Your car may have fancy features like traction control, stability control, and such. Know exactly how they would react. I always go to a frozen empty parking lot and test my car's responses for each snow fall or freeze.

7. Speed kills
The slower the safer in snow and ice.

I have compiled an article with illustration. If you want to see, write to me.

 

Good topic. Kinda corny and motherly, but still a good topic. I gotta add my 2 cents, sorry.

#1 - So easy to do as described and such major destruction possible if you don't.

#2 - This applies more to older cars. Late-model cars are designed to heat up really fast. Not for the driver's comfort, but for emissions control. However, the driver can take advantage of this design. You waste gas if you let it idle very long. Extended idling is also hard on the engine and will void the warranty. So if you do this, don't tell anyone.

#3 - I would also stress to brush the snow off the hood. I always see cars rumbling down a snowy highway with large sheets of snow lifting off the hood and exploding on the windshield or flying into the traffic behind, or both.

#4 - Easy on gas is always good. When you get to an icy incline, however, you may have trouble if the ASR is on. The tire slips and ASR cuts power, then returns power and the tire slips and ASR cuts power, and so on. Try turning ASR off and easing on the gas and up the slope. Try taking off in 2nd gear as well. I guess that's the "W" switch on some models?

#5 - I disagree on this one. A car with ABS will stop in a shorter distance than a car without if the driver stomps the brake pedal and keeps it down. And, ABS provides functional steering with the brake pedal stomped and kept down. "Stomp and steer" as the saying goes.

#6 - I like to say those things won't defy the laws of physics. They barely defy the laws of stupidity.

#7 - There's nothing so scary as trying to stop your car while it just keeps going and going and going and there's stuff around you, like trees and ditches and poles and people and stuff.

I would add two things.

- Make sure you keep your gas tank as full as possible during the winter. You'll notice as the really cold temps approach, people will post about their car not starting. Nine times of out of ten it's because there's water in their gas tank. You drive the car and it's relatively warm, then you park it in the cold overnight and everything that can condenses. The air in the gas tank will do exactly that and result in water mixing with the gas. The more gas, the less condensation.

- Keep at least some simple survival gear in the trunk in case you break down or get stuck on a lonely stretch of road. Be prepared to spend the night. A blanket to keep warm. A candle and matches for light and to prevent frost. A mirror or flashlight or something shiny (an old CD-ROM) for signaling. The universal distress signal is three consecutive flashes. You can write that on a mirror or a CD-ROM with a Sharpie. A bite or two of food like an energy bar... not a cheeseburger. A bottle of water up front where it won't freeze. A woman, if you can get one to agree to stay in your trunk. Wait, never mind on that last one. If you do get stuck, try not to run the engine for the heater. If you do, make sure the tip of exhaust pipe is clear and the exhaust can clear away from the car. You don't want to die from CO posioning. Don't laugh, you may break down between cell phone towers and you may be 20 miles from the nearest Starbucks.

 

8. Be prepared
always carry 2 or more heat pack/hand warmer on your car and a blanket. This can save your life if you are stuck in the middle of nowhere and help is takes long time to arrive. carry a disposable lighter too even if you don't smoke crack. you may need it to burn your car for life needed heat or signaling purpose (not necessarily in that order).

9. Check your tools
make sure that the jack is working well and your spare tire properly inflated. if you got spare fuel container in the trunk, fill it up.