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Tips To Avoid Roadside Miseries This Holiday Season

December marks the beginning of the holiday season. Cheers and uproar raid every Canadian household. What makes the taste of the chocolate bombs and Christmas dinners even more appetizing is the view of landscapes covered in a soft blanket of snow. The frigid temperatures and the petal-like snowflakes slowly approaching the white ground while you enjoy delightful and toasty temperatures make the holiday season seem like a magical fantasy.However, many accidents and unpleasant events also unfold during the holiday season due to the negligence and carelessness of a small group of people. Besides the issues related to disputes and fights resulting from excessive intoxication, numerous adversaries also occur on the road.Many people argue that most collisions and accidents occur in summer and fall. However, December alone accounted for about 30% of the total crashes in Canada in 2017, as per the Royal Canadian Mounted Police.A similar report by the Government of Alberta reports that amongst the different holiday seasons, Christmas has the highest number of road injuries. In contrast, Easter weekend had the most fatalities in 2019. While July accounted for the most number of fatal collisions, the cumulative figures suggested that December ranked second highest in the total number of collisions while November secured the first position that year.As a long-serving towing company in Edmonton, we receive most of our calls for roadside assistance or emergency towing on the 21st, 22nd, and 23rd of December. Contrary to what you may expect, most collisions and roadside problems do not occur on the 25th of December. The latter is the case because people are rushing to shop during these days and consistently remain distracted by thoughts of the approaching holidays.This blog post provides exceptional tips to help prevent roadside miseries that spoil your holidays.

Use Winter Tires

Traction is one of the biggest concerns for every Canadian driver during the winter. In December, this problem reaches its peak as a lot of snow falls on the road, melts, and then refreezes on the road again. Clearly, all-season tires do not have the required tread strength to maintain a firm grip on these icy roads.For this reason, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police and Transport Canada emphasize that drivers switch to winter tires, especially in December. These tires have stronger tread rubber that helps reduce the stopping distance and provides excellent traction.

Remove All Snow From The Roof Before Driving

While many people remember the good practices of a pre-trip inspection, preheating a car, and removing any snow from the windshield, they forget about the snow on the roof. The last thing you would want to happen while on a busy highway is for chunks of snow to constantly slide down your line of vision.Surely, you already have a lot of things wreaking havoc in your mind because of the approaching holidays. In this state of mind, having to deal with a distraction in the form of an unclear vision is not something you can afford. Thus, you must clear your vehicle of all the snow before embarking on any trip.

Check The Weather And Highway Conditions Before Leaving

Although we always recommend checking the weather forecast before leaving your house, we know not many people do it. In a busy world like ours, who has time to check the weather forecast? However, checking the weather means the difference between sitting safely in your house during a blizzard or being stuck in one.Likewise, it is always a good idea to call 511 to check on the highway conditions before leaving. If you end up in a traffic jam, turning around is rarely a privilege anyone receives. This makes drivers impatient and ultimately results in collisions.

Always Have An Emergency Kit In Your Trunk

Ask anyone around you, and they will tell you that their car usually breaks down when they least expect it to. Besides the grocery shopping for your grand Christmas dinner, you have a ton of chores waiting for you at home. Despite your tight schedule, your car betrays you and abruptly stops on the road.The latter is the reason why the holiday season mandates even more preparation than usual. So to cope with any such occurrence, you must always have an emergency kit in your trunk. Read Also: Top 6 Things To Keep In A Roadside Emergency KitSome holiday season-specific things to have in your kit include:

• A shovel, sand, and salt
• Jumper cables
• Flashlights
• A pair of warm clothes

Have A Reliable Towing Company In Your Contact List

You might have noticed that we didn’t mention tow straps in the list of items to have in your car. While it is suitable for areas not easily reachable by a towing company, we recommend that you do not use DIY towing during winter. The icy roads are not the best place to use tow straps. If you are not careful, you might even worsen the problem and damage your car.Instead, have a reputed towing company in Edmonton in your contact list. If your car ends up in a ditch, just request reliable vehicle recovery services to avoid further damage.

Watch Out For Black Ice

Black ice is a major problem on the road. While fresh snow can easily be seen, snow that melts and refreezes becomes transparent between the temperatures of 4°C and -4 °C. Resultantly, its colour blends in with the road and is hard to distinguish. For this reason, impatient drivers often lose control of their vehicles on black ice and end up having collisions.Hence, you must always watch out for black ice, especially on overpasses and bridges.For a practical demonstration of things, watch this video by Transport Canada.

About Action Towing

For years, we have used our sophisticated equipment and years of experience to manage many unpleasant roadside encounters and avoid further damage. This holiday season, rely on Action Towing for superior roadside assistance.Contact us now.