Do You Want to Build a Snowman? Tips for Safe Driving in the Snow

After months and months (and months) of hearing your precious kiddos sing “Do You Want to Build a Snowman?” the time has finally come to build one in real life. A ski resort a couple of hours from your home is holding a family day, and you want to bring your kids there for a fun-filled day of making snow angels, maybe trying the bunny slope a few times and, of course, building your own personal Olaf. Since you don’t regularly drive through snowy white conditions, you might need to purchase some specific gear to help you arrive safe and sound. Before hitting the snow-covered roads, consider picking up the following winter travel items:

A Winter Travel Kit

When you are traveling in icy and snowy conditions, it’s a good idea to have a well-stocked winter travel kit in your vehicle. This way, if you encounter a long backup in traffic or the weather changes for the worst, you will be well-supplied with items to help you get through the delay.

Your winter travel kit should contain things like a flashlight or two, a bag of kitty litter — this can help provide needed traction on the road — bottled water, high-protein snacks for the whole family, thermoses of cocoa and coffee, blankets, and extra hats, scarves and gloves for everybody. Of course, you should also bring your fully-charged mobile phone with you for the drive, as well as a car charger.

If you have room in your trunk, you might also consider bringing a small snow shovel.

Tires That Can Handle the Snow

Before you head out for a fun-filled day in the snow, make sure your car’s tires are up for the challenge. Even if your tires are relatively new and are still in great shape, you might consider switching them out to a brand that can really handle snowy conditions.

All-season tires feature sipes and pattern edges that will tackle snow-covered roads with ease. Traction grooves also help the tires grip the surface. In case you are unfamiliar with the term “sipe,” it is essentially a channel or groove that is added to the tread of the tires to help them bite into the snow.

These tires can handle dry and wet road conditions, which means no matter what type of weather you encounter on your family snow day, your tires will help you through it.

Heated Ice Scraper

If you don’t encounter an icy windshield regularly, you do not think you need a scraper. But you should purchase one before your snow day. While a plastic club card from your local grocery store can work as an ice scraper in a pinch, if your windshield gets covered with ice and snow during your day of fun, you’ll need something bigger and more robust to cut through the icy covering effectively.

An electric ice scraper plugs into a car lighter jack and sometimes features a built-in flashlight. As the ice scraper heats up, it will slice through the ice like butter and help clear your windshield and make it safe to drive.