The Waterloo Police Department is pleased to provide the following winter driving tips and reminders for the motoring public.

Make sure your winter driving kit is in your vehicle, not in your trunk.  The kit should include:

SEND HELP SIGN                         ice scraper                  bottled water
matches and candles                   cellular phone              blankets
non-perishable food                     paper and pencil          flashlight and batteries

Make sure you have enough gas in your vehicle.

Keep all of your vehicle's lights and windshield clean.

Turn on your lights to increase your visibility to other motorists.

Decrease your speed and leave yourself plenty of room to stop.  You should allow at least three times more space than usual between you and the car in front of you.  Brake gently to avoid skidding.

If you find yourself in a skid, don't overreact.  Ease off the accelerator, avoid the brake and steer in the direction you want to go.

Don't use cruise control.

Avoid passing snowplows.  You are likely to find the road in front of the plow worse than the road behind.

Always be aware of where you are in case you need to call for help.  If your car should become disabled, stay with the vehicle and run your engine and heater for short intervals.  Be sure to "crack" a window in the vehicle to avoid carbon monoxide build-up.

Be especially careful on bridges and overpasses.

Be patient, use good common sense and make sure you buckle up.

Finally, remember, it is against Waterloo City ordinance to leave a vehicle parked on a city street for more than 48 consecutive hours.  Vehicles must be moved so snowplows can clear the streets.

Captain John Beckman
Waterloo Police Department
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319-291-4383