Top 4 Steps When Driving in Bad Weather

There are four specific things you need to watch out for when you're driving in bad weather. Of course, there are actually more things than four, but these are particularly important to staying safe. Some of them have to do with how you address the road and others have to do with how you react to bad situations. Put together, they can help you to avoid some of the most common causes of a weather-related car wreck.

1. Slow down. Whenever you feel like the weather is overwhelming you, it's probably because it is. Even though you're driving through the weather, the fact that you're behind a windshield and in a climate controlled vehicle means that you're not actually aware of the conditions outside as much as you would be if you were standing out in them. This means you might underestimate how cold it is and not realize that there is ice forming on the road, or that you might not realize how hard the wind is blowing and end up getting hit by a strong gust and pushed into another vehicle.
2. Turn on your lights. One of the best ways to determine whether or not you should have your lights on is whether or not you have your windshield wipers on. Wipers should never be on without the lights being on. Any kind of inclement weather generally compromises people's visibility on the road. You may think you can see far enough ahead of your vehicle to stop if trouble comes your way, but that might not be the case.
3. Keep the back of your car from passing the front. If you start to slide, the way you keep your vehicle under control is to make sure that the back of your car does not pass up the front. This seems obvious, but when you're in an uncontrolled slide it's usually because the rear of your vehicle has started to come around and the effect of steering has completely changed. Take a defensive driving course to learn how to handle these situations.
4. Have insurance. Make sure you carry adequate coverage for medical, liability and other areas of concern. If someone without insurance slams into you, make sure you call a Dallas auto accident lawyer to see about how you might be able to get compensation for the damages.