Pro tips for driving in winter weather

Unless you drive a snowplow for a living, getting behind the wheel in a blizzard probably isn’t your idea of fun. You can survive the ordeal with a few pro tips for driving in winter weather.

“Road surfaces can change quickly between dry, snow-packed and icy — all of which require a different approach to steering and stopping,” says Leslie Kasperowicz, a Minneapolis driver who edits CarInsurance.org, a car insurance website.

The trick, pros like Kasperowicz say, is to stay ahead of the weather, pack the right gear and make sure you understand the fundamentals of bad-weather driving. (It also helps that you're a careful driver.)

Pro tip #1: Download the right app for driving in winter weather

Downloading the right smartphone apps can help. They include:

Offline Survival Manual (Android only): This worst-case-scenario app includes helpful information on how to make a fire, build a shelter and find food, as well as other information you might need in an emergency. True to its name, once you download it, you don’t need a cellular connection to access the information.

Waze (Android/iOS): Waze is a navigation app that provides turn-by-turn directions and user-contributed information on traffic, travel times and route conditions. Joe Gast, CEO at Truck Driver Institute, a driving school, recommends it to his drivers. “Waze allows you to leverage traffic insights from other drivers so you can stay on safe and clear roads,” he says. It’s particularly useful during the winter because road conditions can be volatile.

Weather Underground (Android/iOS): This app offers drivers hyperlocal weather data. During the winter, it highlights weather-related traffic hazards. “Weather Underground issues ice alerts and warnings for other problematic conditions that can affect your driving during the cold winter months,” says Jared Kamrowski, who founded Thrifty Traveler, a travel website.

There are also state transportation agency apps — such as Pennsylvania’s 511PA Mobile App — that can help. Pennsylvania’s app reports road conditions and enables drivers to monitor the state’s plow trucks. If you’re driving in a blizzard, that can mean the difference between getting there and spending a night stuck in a snowbank.

Pro tip #2: Pack these essential tools for driving in winter weather

If you’re driving in winter conditions, what should you pack in the car? For a list, I turned to Jess Larsen, who grew up snowboarding in northern Alberta and is a vice president for an ad agency in Provo, Utah. He’s driven in whiteout conditions many times, and he still gets a chance to practice his winter-driving skills on the way to Utah’s ski resorts.

Here’s what Larsen carries:

? Extra shoes or boots to wear while pushing yourself or others out of a snowbank. If you’re wearing nice work shoes, Larsen says, “you’ll freeze within 10 steps in the snow.”

? A little fold-up shovel so you can dig yourself or others out of the snow. Make sure it is metal in case you have to chip away ice under a tire. “In the cold weather, everyone snaps the inexpensive plastic one they got a deal on and then starts feeling overwhelmed about what they’re going to do now,” Larsen says.

? A small blanket, a water bottle and some snacks. Take extra snack if you have kids, because they’ll get anxious in the cold — and hungry.

? If you’re planning to do a lot of winter driving, stow a box of cat litter in the car. It’s a cheap way to give your tires a little traction on snow or ice.

Pro tip #3: don't forget roadside assistance

One final item you shouldn’t leave home without: a roadside-assistance program.

“Shell out the cash to AAA or something like that,” Larsen says. “Then make sure everybody in your family programs the number into their phone.”

All of which brings us to the best strategies for driving in winter weather. Assuming you’ve downloaded the right apps and packed the car with everything you need, what now?

Practice your winter driving. Larsen recommends finding an empty parking lot after a snowstorm. “Try getting yourself into a spin and seeing how fast you can recover,” he says. Also, practice turning at various speeds and stopping. Get a feel for how your car responds in snow.

“As far as driving itself, nothing can compete with meaningful repetitions,” Larsen adds.

And, finally, slow down, experts say. Kamrowski, who grew up in Fargo, N.D., says that all too often, motorists will pass you on an icy highway and then “you drive a few miles down the road and see them in the ditch.”

But the best advice for driving in winter weather is this: Don’t. If you can avoid taking the car out while it’s snowing, you’ll save yourself a lot of trouble. You might miss the first couple of ski runs on a powder day, but at least you’ll be alive.

Christopher Elliott is a journalist and consumer advocate. He's currently based in Prescott, Ariz., where it's a balmy 23 degrees this morning. This article originally appeared in the Washington Post. If you need consumer help, contact him at his site.