Sarah Yeckering
Contributing Writer
syeckering@murraystate.edu
With western Kentucky setting record low temperatures earlier this week, now is the time for students to winterize their vehicles to avoid damage, ensure safety and prepare for the possibility of being stranded.
Kevan Paluso, owner of TSA Auto in Murray, said vehicle safety is important during winter weather conditions. He said regular and routine maintenance is important for all vehicles but especially crucial when the temperature drops below freezing.
“Winterizing a vehicle helps ensure liability not only for the driver, but for the vehicle as well,” Paluso said. “It’s ideal to have a vehicle winterized in the fall, before the temperatures get below freezing. Some of the obvious and not-so-obvious maintenance includes making sure your vehicle has good wiper blades, proper antifreeze in the coolant and to always check your tire tread to see if your tires will provide good traction.”
The frequent change in temperature can often lead to a significant drop in tire pressure. Students should regularly monitor the tire pressure in their vehicles and add more air if needed.
Paluso said with winter weather, it is important to have good tires with tread to grip the snow and ice.
Installing new wipers and keeping the washer fluid full is another simple tip Paluso had for students.
“I recently put new wipers on my car because of all the rain we’ve been having,” Coral Bray, senior from Murray, said. “Soon enough it will turn into snow; it’s definitely a good investment for everyone
to make.”
Ready.gov urges drivers to stay off the roads if at all possible during a winter storm.
“If trapped in your car, then stay inside,” according to the Department of Homeland Security’s website. “Learn the signs of, and basic treatments for frostbite and
hypothermia.”
In December 2004, Kentucky saw one of the worst snowstorms in history, just days before Christmas. On Dec. 22, 2004, Paducah, Kentucky was blanketed with 14.2 inches of snow, according to the National Weather Service’s website. Other snow totals from the region ranged from 5 to 13 inches. Blustering wind created snow drifts up to 5 feet deep, which only added to the treacherous driving conditions.
Interstate 24 had a 29-mile long traffic jam from Lyon County to Trigg County, Kentucky, that stranded nearly 1,000 motorists overnight.
Murray State alumna Abby Dew was traveling home to Shelbyville, Kentucky, for winter break, a drive that normally takes about three and a half hours.
“We weren’t stranded [overnight] but it did take 7 to 8 hours to get to Shelbyville,” Dew said.
She said having an emergency roadside kit equipped for winter would have been helpful had she been one of the stranded drivers, but luckily she was able to make it through the storm with the items she had in her car.
For more information on winterizing your vehicle visit TheNews.org.