Harmful habits when driving in winter

Here are some bad habits to break when driving in winter:

Not observing and checking the vehicle before moving

Automotive technicians always advise that before starting the car, you should spend about 1-2 minutes checking the parts around the car such as tires, engine oil, coolant, windshield washer fluid, etc. to ensure a safe trip. However, not everyone has this habit.

Observation with the naked eye can also detect problems with the vehicle. In winter, special attention should be paid to the lighting system because this is the season of "long nights, short days" and lots of drizzle and fog. When the lighting system does not work properly, it will greatly affect road safety.

In addition, batteries in cold weather often operate less efficiently than in hot weather. If you detect signs of leakage, low voltage or expired batteries, you should replace them immediately.

Start and go

In the cold season, just leaving the car overnight will cause the engine oil and lubricants to settle to the bottom and become thicker than usual. Therefore, when starting the car, these fluids need more time to "heat up" and pump evenly to the engine parts.

In fact, many people have the habit of starting the car and then immediately shifting the gear to move the car. This is very harmful to the engine because at this time some parts have not been lubricated yet, when the car moves at high rpm, the heavy load can heat up and wear the parts faster.

Normally, experts always advise drivers to start and let the car idle for about 30 seconds before starting to move, but in winter, this time can be increased a little, about less than 1 minute.

Inflate the tire

Many drivers in the summer will inflate their tires a little too low, but in the winter they try to inflate their tires because they think that "heat expands, cold contracts". However, in reality, even in winter, if you move at high speed, friction with the road surface can still "burn" the tire temperature as high as in the summer.

On the other hand, experts say that in winter, low temperatures combined with dry air will make the rubber layer of the tire susceptible to damage and cracking. If the tire is over-inflated in winter, it can be even more harmful than in summer. Therefore, it is necessary to maintain adequate tire pressure, according to the manufacturer's recommendations, whether it is winter or summer.

Open the window when driving

Low temperatures cause many drivers to not use air conditioning, instead choosing to open the windows to get fresh air from outside. However, this may be an incorrect habit because in this season the weather is dry, the air has a lot of fine dust. Opening the windows will allow dust to easily penetrate inside, making the interior dirty quickly.

At the same time, opening the windows even slightly will significantly increase the vehicle's drag, especially when driving on the highway. This not only makes noise but also makes the car consume much more fuel than closing the windows.

Wear too warm clothes

The low temperature outside forced the driver and passengers to wear many layers of clothes, scarves, and hats. When getting on the bus, most of them still kept their clothes on, making them stuffy and uncomfortable.

For drivers, wearing too many thick winter clothes makes it more or less difficult to handle situations, but if you are moving on the road, taking off some clothes is almost impossible.

Safe driving experts say that as soon as getting into the car, drivers should take off their coats and scarves based on the temperature difference and put them in a suitable place before sitting in the driver's seat.