Safe winter driving mostly common sense

For most Nova Scotia travellers, a trip through the Cobequid Pass is an uneventful — dare I say boring — drive.

But for about 1,500 motorists stranded by a November storm in 2007, the treacherous stretch that connects Truro and Amherst was anything but.

The sudden intense storm dumped about 25 centimetres of wet snow on the road, leaving hundreds of ill-prepared travellers trapped in their cars for 12 dark, cold hours.

We’ve grown blasé about winter in this province; it’s a season to be muddled through with a minimum of complaining.

But through all that stoicism, many of us lose sight of the fact that winter can be downright dangerous. Most of us don’t take the time to prepare for winter driving.

Winter has a way of turning small engine problems in to major headaches. A knock or sluggish start that may be a minor annoyance in summer could turn into a stalled engine in winter.

At the same time, breaking down on an isolated road on a cold winter night can be a recipe for disaster.

The solution? Make sure your vehicle is properly tuned up and operating properly before the cold weather sets in.

Start by taking a few minutes to read your owner’s manual to see what kind of service schedule your car’s manufacturer recommends.

Have your service technician check out any unusual pings, rough idling, stalling or slow starts. If you have a problem, a sub-zero day will only magnify it.

Check your car’s antifreeze, battery and battery connections before the cold arrives.

The brakes, tires, windshield wipers and belts should also be examined to make sure they’re working properly and ready to perform in a sudden winter storm.

Your oil should be the right grade for cold weather operations; and now is a good time to change oil and air filters. While you’re at it, check the vehicle’s exhaust system for leaks.

While carbon monoxide leaks are never good, during the winter months with the windows closed tight they can be particularly deadly.

A couple of other common sense considerations can make winter driving a lot safer. It’s surprising how many Nova Scotia drivers travel far from home without a car emergency kit that includes blankets, candles, emergency snacks and water — all items that would have come in handy for those unfortunates trapped in the Cobequid Pass stranding.

Trips can’t always be postponed for bad weather, but knowing the weather conditions ahead of time is often the best defence.

There are plenty of good websites and apps that give motorists quick access to local road conditions in Nova Scotia.

And for drivers who just have to see it to believe it, check out the webcams maintained by the Nova Scotia Department of Transportation and infrastructure renewal at http://novascotia.ca/tran/cameras/all.asp.

They provide more than 50 webcams that monitor such trouble areas as Highway 12, Mount Thom, the Canso Causeway and, yes, the notorious Cobequid Pass.

If the conditions make you nervous, stay home, or at least delay your trip. As they say in Nova Scotia: “If you don’t like the weather, wait awhile. It’ll change quickly.”