{"id":873,"date":"2018-01-16T10:17:12","date_gmt":"2018-01-16T16:17:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.accidentcare.com\/?p=873"},"modified":"2020-02-05T09:42:28","modified_gmt":"2020-02-05T15:42:28","slug":"prepare-your-vehicle-for-winter","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/accidentcare.com\/prepare-your-vehicle-for-winter\/","title":{"rendered":"How To Prepare Your Vehicle For Winter"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">No matter where you live, the weather can be fairly unpredictable, especially during the winter months. And if you live in Oklahoma or the Dallas area, you have most likely experienced the sudden change of one day walking in the warm sun and the next frigid temperatures and high winds.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Make sure you are always prepared for these shifts in temperature and keep your vehicle \u201cwinter weather-ready\u201d. Be prepared for the sudden changes in the weather with the following winter driving tips.<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Protect your engine by checking your fluids. Make sure your coolant is full to control your cooling system, your windshield washer fluid is full and you are up to date with your oil change.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The cold weather can damage your hoses and belts. Be sure to check these for wear and tear.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Check your brake pads. You want to avoid rust on your brake pads as that can lead to pitting. <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Pitting wears away at your brake rotors, leaving them scored and rough, which allows rust particles to contaminate the <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">brake<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> pads<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. If your rotor and brake pad get stuck together, you may notice a stiff brake pedal, a \u201csluggish\u201d feeling when you take your foot off the brake pedal, and a burning smell.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Keep an ice scraper in your car for your windows. If you know you are going to be out of your car for an extended amount of time when it is icy\/snowing outside, lift your wiper blades so they do not become stuck to your car. This will also make it easier to scrape the ice off.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Keep your gas tank at least half a tank full as traffic can increase with ice and snow.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Check your tire pressure and store a tire pressure gauge in your car as temperature drops can affect tire pressure dramatically. Additionally, check the tread depth of your tires. This can make the difference if you hit an icy patch on the road.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Prepare an emergency kit in case you encounter car trouble. Some items to keep in this kit include:<\/span>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In the instance you become stranded you always want to have a few <\/span><b>bottles of water<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> on hand.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">If you become stuck in the snow a <\/span><b>small shovel <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">will come in handy if you have to dig out your tires.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">It is always smart to keep<\/span><b> jumper cables<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> in your vehicle all year-round. You never know when you or a friend might need a jump.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Anti-freeze <\/span><b>windshield wiper fluid<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> is typically alcohol-based and can not only prevent freezing but also help melt frost and ice on your windshield.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Another item to keep in your vehicle all year-round is a <\/span><b>first aid kit<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. Some items to keep in this kit are :<\/span>\n<ol>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Adhesive Band-Aids<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Gauze pads<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Antibiotic ointment<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Antihistamine for allergic reactions<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Antiseptic wipes to sanitize your hands and hand sanitizer<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Aspirin, Ibuprofen, or other pain-relieving medication<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Aloe Vera to treat mild burns<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">A digital thermometer<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Tweezers<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Saline solution for eye washing or cleaning wounds<\/span><b>\u00a0<\/b><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The<b> Owner\u2019s Manual<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> is always good to keep in your car. If your vehicle breaks down this guide may include a simple trick to get it working again.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">A <\/span><b>small bag of sand or non-clumping kitty litter<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> is a necessity if you are traveling where you know there will be snow. This will help you tire gain some traction if you become stuck.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Keep cold-weather gear<\/span> <span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">for you and the kids including gloves, hats, jackets, boots, and blankets. You do not want to be stuck in the cold without these items.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">If you are traveling to cold temperatures where there will be snow consider exchanging your all-season tires for snow tires. <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The combination of cold temperatures, ice, and snow can be best met by winter tires, which are specially designed to perform in winter conditions.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"list-style-type: none;\">\n<ul>\n<li style=\"list-style-type: none;\"><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Most importantly, if you have the option of staying home when driving conditions are unsafe, you should consider that first. The dangers are not worth the risk.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">As it gets colder please be safe and stay aware on the roads. Consistently practice safe driving and your everyday car can transform into your winter car. Make it a habit to always prepare for the worst and check for the essentials before heading out. Check the air pressure in your tires, your oil, windshield wiper, gas, and coolant fluids. Keep warm clothes in your vehicle and always\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">If the unexpected should happen to give Accident Care and Treatment Center, Inc a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.accidentcare.com\/contact\/\">call<\/a>. We offer same day, next day, and walk-in appointments. If you are injured, begin your road to recovery begins here.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>No matter where you live, the weather can be fairly unpredictable, especially during the winter months. And if you live in Oklahoma or the Dallas area, you have most likely experienced the sudden change of one day walking in the warm sun and the next frigid temperatures and high winds. Make sure you are always prepared for these shifts in &#8230; <a href=\"https:\/\/accidentcare.com\/prepare-your-vehicle-for-winter\/\" class=\"more-link\">Read More<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":8,"featured_media":1240,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"content-type":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[7],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/accidentcare.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/873"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/accidentcare.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/accidentcare.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/accidentcare.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/8"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/accidentcare.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=873"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/accidentcare.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/873\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/accidentcare.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1240"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/accidentcare.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=873"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/accidentcare.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=873"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/accidentcare.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=873"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}