Randy's Winter Wisdoms

My Uncle Randy sends an email every year of some handy things that every one of us Midwesterner-Great Lakes Region folk should know about traveling via car in the winter.

Looking down on from my apartment at my snow-plowed in car on East Lexington Ave, Elkhart Indiana

I grew up thinking that everyone knew knew phrases like "perma-cloud" or "lake-effect" but this valuable advice is worth sharing and could be life-saving.

I've implemented a few of these and even have a "winter crate" that I keep in the trunk of my car from about November-March. And you'll notice one dated piece of advice, but that speaks more to how long The Uncle has been sending these words of wisdom out (one of my earliest saved emails was from 2012.) Yes, children, there was a time when not everyone had a cell phone!

Remember, it can happen to you, so be prepared.

Winter Wisdoms

1. Spend the money and get a spare key made for your car!!!!!! I will give you my personal guarantee that it will be a whole lot cheaper than calling in a locksmith after you lock your keys in it without an extra one in your pocket or desk here at work or wallet or purse. You get the idea.

2. Keep a jug of blue windshield washer goop in the trunk or back seat. The more salt they lay out, the worse visibility gets. They also sell a pinkish fluid that works at a much colder temp without freezing, it costs more per gallon, but it does a good job. Refill the wiper fluid reservoir under your car’s hood at EACH gas fill-up.

3. Don't throw out that old blanket or comforter, put it in a plastic trash bag to keep it clean and store it in your car trunk. If you ever get stuck and stranded, you'll be glad for the extra warmth. I guess let’s also include a pair of WARM gloves, pull-over and a hat too. Fashion is not the issue here, preventing hypothermia is.

4. Keep a spare flashlight, some candles and a disposable lighter in a small coffee can. Light and an emergency heat source could also help under the conditions described in #3. A few granola bars, chocolate etc. would fit in the coffee can also. Big empty coffee cans and a roll of bathroom tissue serve a variety of useful purposes in an emergency, stranded situation. They now make really dandy wind-up LED flashlights that don’t need batteries, under $20, worth the price, in my opinion.

5. A cell phone can be extremely useful during the winter months, if you don’t have one you may want to look into investing in one. There are many low-cost plans available, many without a monthly contract (like a calling card) A cell phone could help to save your life, no matter the season. With the serious consequences possible in a winter stranded situation it is even more important for your survival.

6. A small shovel and a bag of rock salt or cat litter will help unstick a stuck car. Remember to throw the salt/litter under your car’s "drive wheels", there are a lot of Front wheel drive vehicles out there now, but if yours is rear wheel drive, that's where you need to put the traction.

7. An old terry cloth towel is very handy to have to keep your headlights clean. It's amazing how much further they shine with a clean lens.

Still my car, just another time when the Great Lakes Snow Effect took place.

8. It's time to find that windshield scraper/broom you bought last year and put it back in your vehicle. As a minivan owner, I went to my local home improvement store and bought a soft bristled 18-24" regular push broom that I keep in my rig exclusively for snow removal duties. Really speeds up the process.

9. We're almost done, PLEASE don't let your gas tank get below half full. Low fuel tanks are prime condensation breeders and that can lead to gas line freeze. You also never know how traffic and the roads is going to be. Even a short commute can take forever if the weather turns hostile, and your car cannot produce heat if the motor runs out of fuel.

10. If you have not had your car checked over for things like new wipers, belts and hoses and battery condition, and it's over three years old, it would not be a bad idea to do so. Car batteries do NOT last more than about 5 years, so if you are driving an older vehicle with the original battery, drop by the local auto parts mega mart and have it tested just to be on the safe side. A new battery is a lot cheaper than getting towed.

11. Not so much a tip as it is my commentary - Realize that it CAN happen to you. When we commute during the winter it is almost always very cold and very dark. A car can skid off even a busy thoroughfare on ice and go into a ditch and not be seen, engines can breakdown, “stuff” can happen. How big a deal it becomes depends on how well prepared YOU are.

Drive Safely! Randy Patka