When Winter Hits Wyoming Are You Ready To Face The Challenge?

Fall is here and the temperatures are steadily going down, we all know what's just around the corner...cold, windy, snowy, icy conditions. Are you prepared?

When the temps start falling, I always start getting my truck prepared for winter. Taking the summer road trip supplies out and putting the winter "let's hope I never have to use these" supplies in. As a kid there were times we would get a couple feet of snow at a time and we lived far enough out of town that the roads weren't always cleaned very quickly, so driving to town was always an adventure. I can remember my grandpa's and dad saying to always wear clean underwear and always have an emergency kit in my car, just in case.

Here are some important winter driving facts according to TheZebra.com, that you may want to share with your young drivers or friends that don't have much experience driving on wintery roads.

• Around 156,000 auto crashes occur annually because of ice roads
• When driving on snowy roads, it could take your car 10x longer to stop completely
• Over 1,800 people die every year in a car crash due to snowy/icy conditions
• 70% of roads in the US are in snowy areas
• 17% of vehicle crashes occur in snowy conditions

Being safe and knowing the proper etiquette to drive in the snow and ice is extremely important to your safety and those around you.  Remember to check the Wyoming road conditions by calling 511 or checking out all of the road cameras that are provided by WyDot before you leave on that trip. Always have plenty of fuel in your tank, make sure your car is maintained and let someone know of the details and route of your trip.

I decided that you probably know what should go into a winter emergency kit, but thought I would just refresh your memory and let you know the things I keep in my car.