seven tips<\/a> for those considering driving on potentially hazardous roads:<\/p>\nArticle continues below this ad<\/p>\n
No. 1: Stay off the roads, whenever possible. Assume every road is icy.<\/p>\n
No. 2: Drive slowly and cautiously.\u00a0You would go slow if you were walking on ice, right? Then make sure you go as slow as necessary to maintain control of the car. As a guide, try driving at half the posted speed limit or lower to be safe. Speed limits are set for normal road conditions and weather \u2014 not for any kind of wintry state.<\/p>\n
![\"Ice]()
<\/p>\n
Ice and snow, take it slow.<\/p>\n
National Weather Service\/NOAA<\/p>\n
No. 3: Don’t tailgate.Leave enough room between your car and the car ahead to allow you to stop when the tires can’t get traction. Even on dry pavement, you need more stopping distance the faster you go. Ice reduces friction on your tires, which means you will need even more stopping distance. Try to remain as many as 20 car lengths behind the car ahead. Watch out for snow removal equipment, and keep at least 200 feet behind snowplows.<\/p>\n
Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n
No. 4: Pump the brakes gently. Don’t stomp on the brake \u2014 that will lock the wheels and allow the car to skid.<\/p>\n
![\"Protect]()
<\/p>\n
Protect yourself from snow squalls.<\/p>\n
National Weather Service\/NOAA<\/p>\n
No. 5: Don’t panic if you skid. You’ve probably heard the adage that advises you to turn in the direction of the skid, but you won’t remember that if you panic. Don’t forget: Ease off the gas pedal and brakes, and turn in the direction the car is skidding. Do this until you’ve regained traction, then straighten the car.<\/p>\n
No. 6: Watch your acceleration.Avoid accelerating on bridges, icy patches or curves. Try to coast or glide over bridges and icy areas. Bridges, ramps, overpasses and shaded areas tend to freeze first. Maintain a steady speed on curves, and don’t accelerate. Get some momentum before you start up a hill, and avoid accelerating on the way up because it can cause your wheels to spin.<\/p>\n
Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n
No. 7: Be prepared. Keep plenty of gas in the tank, keep your cell phone charged, keep a bottle of water and carry an extra blanket in the vehicle in case you become stranded.<\/p>\n
Vehicle emergency supply kit: What to keep in your car<\/p>\n
![\"Consider]()
<\/p>\n
Consider keeping an emergency supply kit in your car, especially if you plan to travel in winter weather.<\/p>\n
Courtesy\/National Weather Service<\/p>\n
Before setting out for a longer drive, it’s important to ensure all fluid levels are full, including your gas tank, and that lights, heater and windshield wipers are working and in the proper condition. If you must travel alone tell someone the times you plan to arrive at each location, as well as the primary and alternative routes you intend on taking.<\/p>\n
Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n
Texas drivers can also call 511 or visit the\u00a0DriveTexas site<\/a>\u00a0to get the most up-to-date road conditions and traffic information provided by the Texas Department of Transportation.<\/p>\nIt is also good practice to keep an emergency supply kit in your vehicle at all times. Here’s what the National Weather Service recommends including in a vehicle’s winter storm survival kit:<\/p>\n
Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n
Mobile phone, charger, batteries
\nBlankets\/sleeping bags
\nFlashlight with extra batteries
\nFirst-aid kit
\nKnife
\nHigh-calorie, nonperishable food
\nExtra clothing to keep dry
\nLarge empty can to use as emergency toilet, tissues, toilet paper and paper towels
\nSmall can and waterproof matches to melt snow for drinking water
\nSack of sand or cat litter for traction
\nShovel
\nWindshield scraper and brush
\nTool kit
\nTow rope
\nBattery booster cables
\nWater container
\nCandle and matches to provide light and in an emergency, lifesaving heat
\nCompass and road maps, don’t depend on mobile devices with limited battery life<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Road conditions may become hazardous as an arctic cold front travels through Texas. Joe Raedle\/Getty Images An arctic…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":136405,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[25852,57511,1971,27,29,28,6208,172],"class_list":{"0":"post-136404","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-texas","8":"tag-cold-weather","9":"tag-extreme-cold","10":"tag-national-weather-service","11":"tag-texas","12":"tag-texas-headlines","13":"tag-texas-news","14":"tag-travel","15":"tag-weather"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/136404","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=136404"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/136404\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/136405"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=136404"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=136404"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=136404"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}