Now's the time to get ready for winter driving — and to slow down

The Halloween morning snowfall was hardly a whopper of a storm, but it serves as a reminder that the seasons are changing and motorists need to dust off their winter driving skills.

Hundreds of motorists in the Twin Cities went sliding into ditches — if not into each other — as they traversed the ice- and snow-covered roads that came with Tuesday's first taste of winter.

"The biggest thing is, drivers forget roads are slippery and go too fast," said Rob Shuman, an Allstate Insurance agent with offices in Eden Prairie and Excelsior. "We need to slow down."

While no deaths were reported Tuesday, failing to obey the speed limit or driving too fast for road conditions — a violation of state law — is the leading cause of fatal crashes, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

Minneapolis-St. Paul ranked seventh last year on Allstate's list of cities with the most crash claims related to winter weather, leading Shuman to offer a few tips for motorists during the coldest months of the year.

First, get a tune-up, check fluid levels and switch to winter-grade oil. Now's the time to check air pressure in your tires, which can lose 1 pound of pressure for every 10 degrees the temperature falls. Proper air pressure is key for maintaining traction, handling and durability, Shuman said. It's also a good time to put on snow tires, he added.

Drivers should clean headlights and taillights and replace burned-out bulbs. Shuman recommends replacing windshield wipers and packing an emergency kit that includes a cell phone charger, gloves, boots, blankets, a scraper, shovel and kitty litter (which he said works great "to help you get out if you are stuck"). Cooking spray is helpful, too, he said: "It can help keep the door from freezing."

Drivers should check road maps and weather reports before heading out, Shuman said. Once on the road, they should keep speeds down, maintain a safe following distance and refrain from using cruise control, which can cause a vehicle to lose traction and skid on icy pavement.

Shuman offers another safety tip: Avoid changing lanes while driving on or under overpasses. "They are some of the most dangerous parts of the road," he said.

Bridge decks become slick as cold air envelops them from top to bottom, which causes them to ice up before the rest of the road. Roads under overpasses can be just as slippery; without sunlight, black ice can form on the pavement, Shuman said.

Should the unfortunate happen and necessitate a trip to the repair shop, motorists can expect a major inconvenience and a big expense. With more cars to fix during the winter, along with supply chain problems, "a repair that used to take five days might take five weeks," Shuman said.

So, once more: Be prepared, and slow down.