How to Prepare for Winter Driving in a Cold Country like Canada

Our older son now lives and works in the U.S. However he does come home every Christmas for the holidays and a couple of other times for other special occasions.

He was coming home this weekend for a special annual high school reunion  party with his friends. This reunion party is a tradition among his high school group male buddies and it has been going on for years.
My son comes home from New York every year in the middle of winter for this event. So it must be quite a special time for them! I asked my son what they did at this party, to which he replied, laughing mischievously,

 " All the guys' stuff like smoking cigar, eating, playing cards, spitting etc."

Since my son would fly in Toronto on Friday evening and immediately driving up to the cottage for his guys' party, I have been paying special attention to the weather since last week. Winter driving in Canada can be treacherous depending on the weather and road conditions.

Talking about weather is a daily topic in our lives as we are keenly aware of the impact rain, freezing rain, snow, ice, blizzard, storm, temperature, wind chill etc can have on the driving conditions. Driving in bright daylight can be difficult if there is a heavy snow fall or in a white out condition. However, driving in the night is even more difficult and dangerous because the temperature can drop and plunge down between ten to twenty degrees from day to night.

Each year, there are inevitably Canadians get stuck in traffic accidents on the highway or remote area during the cold winter days. Many are lucky enough to come out unscathed while at times some lost their lives under these unfortunate circumstances.  Being well prepared for winter driving is crucial for driver and passenger safety. The weather condition can change quickly and temperature could plummet which can drastically affect the driving condition. Therefore, it is imperative that there are emergency supplies in the vehicle if one is driving out of town or traveling for a long distance.

Since, E. would not have time to stop in Toronto long enough to prepare for his winter driving, I made sure  he has the following supplies in case of an emergency:

- Things to keep warm - a warm blanket, warm clothing, gloves, hat
-  Food - water, juice boxes, chocolate, cookies, high energy food bars
-  Safety - flash light, candles and a box of matches, orange safety vest, box of salt to melt ice, air compressor,and some tool in a tool box

I thank God that His has sent angels to protect us in our travels. Even though we have never  used these emergency supplies for the past many years, we still need to do our part and be well prepared for winter driving in Canada.

R.T.
Toronto