How Weather Can Impact the Roads This Winter

How Weather Can Impact the Roads This Winter

November 21, 2018

As the winter starts to settle in, you’re going to need to prepare yourself for driving in seasonal weather. The snow and ice can make for some dangerous conditions on the roadways, especially during the first couple snowfalls of the year, when some drivers have seemingly forgotten how to drive in inclement weather.

Here’s a quick overview of how weather can impact the roads and vehicles on them, and what you need to prepare for to avoid the need for emergency truck repair in Centre County, PA:

  • High winds: High winds often exacerbate problems associated with snow and rain, because everything gets blown around a lot more and makes it a little more difficult to maintain full control of the vehicle. When there’s snow involved, you can expect high wind speeds to have a negative effect on your visibility. It could also cause lane obstructions, if the wind causes the snow to drift into the roadways. Expect high winds in the winter to extend your travel time and lower the speed of traffic around you.
  • Precipitation: Whether you’re dealing with rain or snow, you can expect your visibility to decrease when precipitation is falling down. The friction on the pavement will also decrease, making it easier for you to lose control of your vehicle if you’re not careful. Expect traffic slowdowns and delays in your travel time due to increased accident risk. Never drive any faster than is safe, especially if the precipitation is coming in heavily.
  • Fog: Fog is often a problem when there’s a sudden warmup in temperature while snow is on the ground. Obviously, the biggest issue here is visibility—you should make sure you drive with your headlights on and that you leave plenty of space between your vehicle and other vehicles on the road. Traffic speed is going to be an issue, but you can expect a lot of variance in speed as the fog thickens and thins out in some areas. Expect it to take longer to reach your destination when the weather is foggy.
  • Water levels: After periods of heavy rain or after all the snow in an area has melted, you’re likely going to have higher water levels in the area. Depending on how close the roadway is to water, you could have roads that get partially or fully submerged. This could result in roads getting shut down, or at the very least traffic slowing down significantly. Never attempt to drive on roads that have been flooded—it could result in your vehicle getting stuck and potentially totaled depending on the height of the water.
  • Ice: Ice is a big problem you’ll need to contend with on roadways during the winter. While municipalities do their best to get their salt trucks out and preserve traction on the roadways, this can’t happen immediately, and people must drive slower and safely when the conditions are slippery. Icy roads can result in loss of control over vehicles, making accidents more likely.

If you get into an accident this winter caused by bad weather conditions, make sure you contact a towing and truck repair service in Centre County, PA that can come and provide you with the assistance you need. Reach out to S & R Repairs Towing & Recovery Inc. for more information!

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