While there's nothing quite like a "white Christmas," a lot of people's attitude about the snow changes when they have to drive in it. Heavy winter storms can be dangerous, especially if we get stuck in the elements with a bad battery or a burned out starter and no way to heat our cars and ourselves.

Aside from the well-known hazards of severe weather, such as freezing to death, driving on black ice or in the middle of a blizzard can also be dangerous. That being said, all motorists should know how to drive in severe weather, especially if they live in an area that gets snow every winter.

Tips for driving safely in the snow:

• Don't drive fast in the snow. As a matter of fact, you may even have to drive below the speed limit to stay safe. Always accelerate and decelerate with care – this means slowly. When you accelerate slowly, you get the best traction, which in turns avoids skidding.
• Don't drive in a hurry. Even if you're late for work or dropping your children off at school, it's better to be safe than sorry.
• It takes longer to slow down on icy roads, so driver slower and give yourself more time to stop at stoplights. If you misjudge how long it will take to stop, you can blow through a red light and collide with traffic.
• Since it takes longer to stop on icy roads, you want to be extra careful not to tailgate. When the roads are dry, you need about four seconds following distance, but on icy roads increase that to ten seconds.
• It takes longer to accelerate, maneuver, and stop on icy pavement than it does on dry pavement, so don't try to maneuver quickly or you could end up in a crash, even if it's with the nearest tree or light post.
• If you have a newer car with anti-lock brakes (ABS) and you need to slow down fast, you will need to press hard on the pedal, which will vibrate once the ABS is activated – this is normal.
• Before climbing a hill, you want to get some inertia going on a flat road before you head up the hill. There's nothing worse than trying to get your vehicle up a hill that's covered in ice.
• If you really don't need to drive anywhere, don't. Even if you're great at driving in the snow, the teenager who just got her license, or the Floridian who's visiting the area can't; there's no reason to tempt fate if you don't have to. If you don't have to go out, you can enjoy the snow by watching it from the comfort of your living room.

If you were involved in an accident while driving in the snow due to another driver's negligence, contact a car accident attorney near you today!