Welcome to Virginia

You can't predict what driver might suddenly cut you off but you might assume that they are from out of town. When you are driving you are not thinking about your state’s revenue from tourism: your main concern is to get to your destination as soon as possible and in one piece. So drivers crawling along enjoying the scenic views can make you angry.

Out-of-state license plates are usually distinctively visible in a crowd, which is why kids make a game of spotting how many different state license plates can be counted. For you, they are warning signs saying, "Pay attention to the stranger!" Tourists usually travel as a family or in groups, with each member making different demands — "let's stop and see that attraction, vista point, or rest area." And as the driver tries to satisfy each request, it makes an impact on their driving pattern.

So give plenty of room to a car with out-of-state license plates. It can save your life, your car, or just your day.

Try to put yourself in their shoes

Imagine that you have crossed your state line. Unusual license plates, unfamiliar signs, and different drivers' manners will distract and confuse you. You may imagine that all sorts of animals are poised to cross the road in front of you, or that all law enforcement is conspiring to ambush you. You become nervous and tense, your eyes get tired quickly, and all of your surroundings say, "You are not a resident!"

Remember, it is important to be prepared for such trips. Try to collect as much information as you can from any possible source: AAA, travel agents, car rental companies, libraries, the Internet, etc. You'll want to know about the weather, the road conditions and constructions, about customs and laws. Knowledge about food and lodging as well as clothing and useful equipment will also be important.

Plan your trip and try to stick to your plans. Make sure you have enough money; don't forget that in case of an emergency you may need to plan for the safe return of both yourself and your vehicle. A cellular phone or CB-radio can also be quite useful in an emergency. If you don't have access to portable telephones, then make sure the route you take has plenty of roadside telephones. A prepaid calling card is handy in such situations, avoiding the humiliation of asking for change.

Everything is changing as you expected: you leave valleys with palm trees behind. Maples, birches, and oaks make the landscape colorful and varied. If you travel in summer, you may enjoy this very nice picture. If you happen to be travelling in the fall, falling leaves may give you the same trouble you can experience on ice. Do not brake firmly unless you have anti-lock brakes. Slow down with slight braking and continue driving slowly until the road becomes clean. Leaves on the road can be especially dangerous if it’s rainy.

Winter is beautiful but cold. Roads are icy and snowy, frozen car windows limit visibility, and heavy warm clothes restrict your movement. It is better to be at home sitting in the armchair in front of the fireplace, watching a hockey game. If you have to drive, though, you have to be prepared.

Make sure your wheels have snow chains and you have a full tank of gas. It also is a good idea to have a gallon of gas in a safe, approved container in the trunk. Do not drive until your car is fully warmed up. (Don’t let it warm up in the garage: it’s very dangerous due to possible Carbon Monoxide poisoning.) Make sure you can clearly see through all windows, and you can use all your side mirrors. Do not forget to clean your headlights, taillights, and turn signals. Check to make sure the heater is working. Wear comfortable clothes and keep warm gloves in the glove compartment and keep a thermos of hot tea with you.

Drive at a slower speed than you would on dry pavement in the summer. Slippery winter roads have less traction so any high acceleration or braking will cause skidding and possibly make you lose control. Start moving as slowly as you can; otherwise your tires may lose traction due to the difficulty of overcoming the car’s inertia, starting to spin while the car is still not in motion. That spinning wheel will heat ice or dense snow on the road, melting it and allowing it to re-freeze, making it ideal for ice-skating (but not driving).

If your car is skidding, turn your front wheels in the direction of the skid. Front-wheel car drivers may also accelerate a little. Don’t brake, or brake only slightly if you think it is absolutely necessary, but immediately release the brake pedal if your wheels start to lock.

If your car goes off the road and gets stuck in the snow, use a pendulum-like movement to get out. Sometimes this is not enough, and you’ll have to carry a shovel to dig a trench for your wheels. You can also release a little air from your tires to lower the pressure to 75% of normal, which may give you more traction on snow and ice. Be sure to restore pressure as soon as road conditions improve.

In case of a snowstorm, use your lights, and your cabin lights to make yourself visible. In a heavy snowfall drive slowly, or if you cannot even do that safely, walk to the nearest call box and call for help. Then return to your car, turn on emergency flashlights, and wait for help. Driving in a snowstorm is dangerous: you could freeze, or you could lose your way driving off the road. If you find yourself stranded, do not turn off the engine or the heater. However, proper ventilation, or fresh air from an open window, is required to prevent carbon monoxide poisoning.

Always know the weather forecast to avoid surprises! A snowstorm is a hard trial for both car and driver. If there is no absolute necessity for driving—stay home!

Winter in the South can be easier than in the North: usually it's just rainy. However, if the rain is tropical, and instead of a paved road you are driving on dirt or clay, then you are in trouble! Deep mud is similar to deep snow, the only difference being that crystals of clay are flat, so in the presence of water each pair of clay crystals slides against each other like an ice skate and ice. You may experience the same effect on a paved road after the first drops of rain fall on a dusty road.

Rain itself is not so terrible, but a thunderstorm is more dangerous. Strong gusty winds can push your car off the road, making you nervous behind the steering wheel. Lighting threatens you with an electric shock or at least with the failure of your car’s electric system. Don’t leave the shelter of your car in such weather: it provides more insulation against being hit by lightning than any open space. And there is another reason not to leave the car: it protects you from being hit with hail. Remember, hailstones can reach the size of baseballs!

In some weather conditions, when a cold air stream starts to descend quickly through the warm layer of air, a tornado can form. A tornado is a remarkably strong wind swirling around in a funnel—it destroys houses and throws around cars and tractors. The best you can do if you see a tornado is to drive as fast as possible in the opposite direction. Do not seek shelter under a bridge or behind a wall. The safest place is an underground parking garage.

Suppose your travels continued longer than you expected, and after a series of winter thunderstorms, you are finally driving in the hot summer. Desert driving does not make your trip any more fun. Driving on sand can be as hard as driving in deep snow or mud: you have to slow down to avoid skidding. Sand can clog your air filter, lowering your engine’s power. Heat requires the fan to work constantly. Add to that the strain from running the air conditioner, and it is easy to see how your engine can overheat. A good solution is to drive fast enough to cool the engine with the air stream, if possible.

Climbing mountains

There is a major difference between driving in the mountains in summer and in winter. In the summer, which is usually a vacation time for most of us, the weather is hot. When an overloaded car is driving up a serpentine grade, you must use your lowest gear; but this is an ideal condition for engine overheating, as described above.

An overheated engine starts working erratically and loses power. Coolant in the radiator starts boiling. On a straight road, you can cool the engine down by driving at a high speed. On a winding road, you have to stop, park on the shoulder and open the hood for a while. Do not touch any part of the engine: you may get burned.

The direct opposite occurs in winter: cold air is good for engine performance. However, the ice under the layer of snow is both dangerous and costly. In winter we spend up to 50% more on gasoline due to heating and slow driving. If you do not change your oil to a low viscosity one, you may have problems starting the engine in the morning unless you keep your car in a warm garage.

If you are traveling in the mountains, be prepared: have a set of spare clothes, canned food, a CB-radio or cell phone, and a flashlight. At the end of winter the chance of avalanches is highest, and radio communication of any kind, along with warm clothing and canned food, may save your life.

Valley roads

These roads are especially dangerous in spring, when small rivers can cover tremendous areas with water. You can’t see either the roadway or any potholes in a flooded area. If a road starts to go downhill, your car may sink in a few seconds, even if you are driving at the speed of a tortoise. High speed, however, may make your car hydroplane, if the water is shallow enough.

Another problem may come up if you are driving in deep water: the engine may stop if the exhaust pipe becomes blocked with water. You’ll need to switch to the lowest gear and keep the engine at 3,500 RPM or greater to prevent the exhaust pipe from clogging. You can reach high speeds even driving in low gear so press your brake pedal constantly. If the water is deep enough to cover your radiator, it will be impossible to drive because the air intake will suck in water.

If you can manage to get your car out of the deep water, you’ll need to dry your brake pads and brake shoes to continue driving safely. The best technique for this is described above: drive and brake at the same time, which will wipe an excess water from your brakes.