Brrrrr....

It's going to get COLD! And snowy. This this is winter, so it's going to happen. 3...2...1... "DUH!"

The only reason I'm writing about this is the large number of vehicles I saw off of the road today, or heard about on the radio.

The rules for winter driving. For those of us who drive defensively, this is definately going to be one of those "duh" articles. Such as "Well ... duh." Or "He really needs to write this? Everybody knows this crap!"

Apparently, not everybody.

1) Reduce speed. IE: SLOW DOWN!! If the road is wet, icey, or just plain snow covered, SLOW DOWN! At higher speeds, it's easier to lose control and harder to regain it.

2) Increase following distance. IE: Don't tailgate!! The general rule of thumb is one car-length for each 10mph of speed. So if you're going at 30mph, you should allow 3 car-lengths of distance. On snow-covered or icey roads, however, feel free to double that distance.

3) Drive safely. This one's harder to explain, but in general terms it means don't do anything to increase your risk. If you're on a two-lane road and the left lane is snow-covered but the right lane is clear, drive in the right-hand lane. It probably will take longer to get where you're going, but if you're travelling slower, you have a greater chance of not being involved in a crash. Also, make sure your vehicle's tires aren't balding. Replace them if you need to. Bald tires greatly increase your risk on bad roads.

4) Don't drive distracted. (OK...this is supposed to say 'Don't drive impared" but that's next.) Don't be distracted. Granted, if you have young children in the car; good luck. But you can be less distracted: Turn the radio/tape/CD off. Don't fiddle with the station settings ... and put the damn cell phone away!

5) Don't drive impared. Yes, another 'duh' moment in an article full of 'duh' moments. Don't drive impared. You shouldn't do this to begin with, frankly. If you do it when the roads are icey or snow-covered ... there are those that would argue that you deserve what happens.

Sorry about the "duh" article. :)