Winter Weather: Its Impact on Road Safety

When you have no place to go, the old Christmas song line of "Let It Snow" rings true. After all, newly fallen snow in an open field or a densely populated city makes for quite the postcard.

But the truth of the matter is that everyone has someplace they have to get to, and when winter is rearing its ugly head, it can create nightmarish conditions on the road. In fact, from 2002 to 2012, there were an average of 211,200 crashes on snow and sleet-covered roads, according to estimates from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, comprising roughly 17 percent of all weather-related crashes.

Of course, the slickness of the roads is the main reason why crashes are so common in the winter time, but in almost every case in which collisions

When you're braving Old Man Winter this year and the roads are treacherous, keep the following tips in mind, as they can arm you and your car with the tools and strategies that will help you get to your destination without incident.

Cut through the fog with

Sure, you can wipe it clean with your hand or a towel, but this leaves smudging and is only a temporary fix. Instead, keep a can of shaving cream in your glove compartment. Prior to leaving your driveway, apply a generous smear of the cream to your viewing area, then wipe it off when its been applied evenly. You can also use shaving cream or toothpaste on your headlights to prevent them from fogging up.

Weigh down the rear to maneuver better
Four-wheel drive can be your best friend when it's snowy out, as its superior handling to rear-wheel makes it a popular feature for car buyers. But if you don't have this feature - and many people don't - you can give your tires better traction by throwing some weights in your trunk, or anything that's heavy enough so that there's additional weight over the tires. You should also think about installing a set of winter tires, which a surprisingly small percentage of road users do.

Park your car facing east
In the early morning hours, you've probably seen how portions of your car will be free of frost while others will be covered in it. This is easily remedied with a scraper or using the defrost to warm up your car, but when you're pressed for time, many people will scrape just enough of the frost off their windshield so they can