Goodbye to Driver Safety Month, but not to driver safety

Oh boy, here it is December already. Hard to believe that National Salubrious Driving Day and Driver Safety Month are both over so soon, isn't it? Do you feel any safer? Would you like to? Well, I'm feeling safer so let me just share a few tips:

First, now that leftovers are gone, it's time to start thinking about winter tires. We want to make it to the mall and back in one piece, don't we? If you're like me, you may have stopped thinking about winter tires years ago, when some smarty pants invented all weather tires. They certainly were convenient, and I think most of us fell for the notion that they were plenty good enough. I know I did. And honestly, I survived for the most part very nicely with my all weather tires through winters in upstate New York, New England, Michigan and even Colorado (although I admit to cheating by buying AWD vehicles in Colorado). So you can imagine my surprise when I arrived in the Northeast Kingdom and discovered that up here they still use winter tires. And do you know what? It works! Our wussy little front wheel drive that spent most of the winters in Colorado hiding in the garage can drive through just about anything now on its tough new winter tires. So if your all weather tires are scaring you out there on the ice and snow, check out a set of winter tires. I think you'll like them.

I was also pretty excited to learn that winter tires with studs are still an option. When I was a young driver we always had studded snow tires that got us through the winter even on those old rear wheel drive cars. But that was before the birth of all weather tires, and we were driving on roads that were covered with a layer of snow or ice (or both) more often than not during the winter. And as it turns out, while studs were keeping us on the road, they had a tendency to wreck the pavement. So many states have banned them altogether, and most of those that allow them limit their use to the winter months. As usual, the rules vary from state to state. If you're interested, you can check this chart compiled by the Rubber Manufacturers Association for the regulations in your state, or any state you plan to visit. But first, I have to say that although studs were terrific back in the day, they have their drawbacks now that the art of clearing snow from the roads leaves them clear and dry for a good part of the winter. And the studs that give you better traction on icy roads, don't help at all on dry roads, and are worse when the roads are wet. So as fondly as I remember them from the good old days, I can't say that I'd suggest you bother with studs on your winter tires today. Ah, but the winter tires themselves have my enthusiastic support. They are so worth it!

Finally, the good folks at AARP don't declare a Driver Safety Month without a bundle of safe driving advice for backup. Check out this article: November is Driver Safety Month on the AARP website for more safe driving tips, and while you're there, head over to the Driver Safety Program page for information on their excellent driver safety classes for adults.

Who says we can't extend our salubrious driving habits into December and beyond?