Basic Winter Driving Safety Tips

Of course, the best thing to do in difficult driving conditions is to stay home. If things look bad out there, it’s usually best to wait until the storm is over and the roads have been cleared somewhat. When you are ready to go, or if you happen to caught on the road when the storm hits,Weather.com offers some things you can do to increase your safety:

• Slow down: Do not drive fast in icy or snow conditions. Move at a slower pace, and do your best to ignore the drivers flying by you. Move to the right, and turn on your hazards if you feel you need to.
• Avoid using cruise control: This is no time to be on “automatic.” You should be doing what you can to “feel” the road.
• Turn on your lights: You want others to see you.
• Give yourself space: Leave plenty of room between you and other cars. Leave at least three or four times the space you normally would.
• Lower gears can help you maintain traction when going up hills.
• Avoid overconfidence in your vehicle: Remember that on icy roads, four-wheel drive isn’t much better than other cars. It’ll still slip if you aren’t careful.
• Stay behind snow removal gear: Not only is it dangerous to pass these big vehicles, which have limited visibility, but you might find yourself in worse road conditions. Staying behind the snow plow or sanding/salting truck is a better idea.

You should also be careful of what happens when you skid, or if you get stuck. It may be difficult to be calm, but you can remain so if you try — and if you know ahead of time what to do.

SCHOOL BUS LAWS IN MINNESOTA for the safety of children

Children getting on and off the bus: When a school bus is stopped on a street or highway, or other location where signs have been erected and is displaying an extended stop-signal arm and flashing red lights, the driver of a vehicle approaching the bus, from either direction, shall stop the vehicle at least 20 feet away from the bus. The vehicle driver shall not move until the school bus stop-signal arm is retracted and the red lights are no longer flashing.

No person may pass or attempt to pass a school bus in a motor vehicle on the right-hand, passenger-door side of the bus when the school bus is displaying the pre-warning flashing amber signals.

Violations of either of these paragraphs is a Gross Misdemeanor

For safety sake, stop your vehicle when you see the flashing yellow lights.

Bicycle Safety laws

Every person operating a bicycle shall have all of the rights and duties applicable to the driver of any other vehicle by this chapter, except in respect to those provisions in this chapter relating expressly to bicycles and in respect to those provisions of this chapter which by their nature cannot reasonably be applied to bicycles.

To read all the laws pertaining to bicycles go to www.revisor.mn.gov/statues/?id=169.22

Minnesota’s Ted Foss Move Over Law requires motorists on multi-lane highways to move one lane away from emergency vehicles with flashing lights on the roadway or shoulder

To put it simply:

· If you are traveling on a roadway with two of more lanes, you must keep a lane away

when passing a stopped ambulance, fire truck, or law enforcement vehicle.

· If you are not able to safely move a lane away, reduce your speed.

· If you fail to take these actions you could receive a citation.

· Ignoring this law endangers the law enforcement officers, firefighters, emergency

medical personnel, and tow truck drivers who provide critical — and sometimes

lifesaving — services on Minnesota roadways.