Harsh weather ahead: CAA-Quebec helps you cope!
A storm is coming and CAA-Quebec’s patrollers are ready all across the province. Here’s what everyone can do to better cope when the weather makes life hard for motorists.
1. If you lose control of your vehicle, look for an escape route, then keep your eyes on that target, not on the obstacle. CAA-Quebec’s winter driving tips
2. If you have to stop, you should never stop on the highway unless you have no other choice. When caught in a storm, a traffic jam or a pileup, you should remain in the vehicle, since it’s by far the safest place. CAA-Quebec’s survival guide for storms and pileups
3. In winter, you need to keep a winter emergency kit in your car. At the very least, you should have some warm clothes, a shovel, a snow brush and scraper, a flashlight and windshield washer fluid on hand. CAA-Quebec’s 12 must-have emergency supplies for your car in winter
4. Common-sense advice is more important than ever: slow down, increase your distance from the car in front of you to give yourself more time to react, make sure you can see well and be seen. This means properly clearing snow from your vehicle, including the headlights. In addition, remember that it’s best to avoid driving if it’s not necessary!
5. For a vehicle to start, its battery has to be in good condition. And the ideal is to plug it in about three hours before leaving. When you start your car, apply the 8-30-4 rule: turn the key for a maximum of eight seconds (with a push-button, just press normally). If it doesn’t start, wait 30 seconds before attempting again. After four attempts, call Roadside Assistance. CAA-Quebec’s tips for starting your car in cold weather
Many calls expected
“At Roadside Assistance, we’re weather-watchers because it allows us to prepare. We’ve dealt with countless cold spells and storms in the over 100 years we’ve been in business, and we made over 700,000 service calls in2018 alone,” explains Pierre-Serge Labbé, Vice President, Automotive Services, at CAA-Quebec. “It’s always a challenge, but we’re well prepared.”
While snow and poor road conditions lead to an increase in towing and extricating/winching requests, what usually generates the greatest number of calls to CAA-Quebec’s Roadside Assistance service is without a doubt the cold, when temperatures fall below -20°C, as is expected in the coming days.