7 tips for driving safely around Marion this fall

October 7th, 2021 by

Fall brings cool weather and beautiful foliage to Marion, Illinois, but it also brings its fair share of driving hazards. If you aren’t prepared for the unique driving conditions of this season, you’ll be at a higher risk for a crash. Below are seven tips that can help you drive safely this fall.

Watch Out for the Kids

Fall is back-to-school time. As such, it’s essential that you exercise caution when you’re driving in school zones. In addition to paying attention to school children crossing the road, you also need to look out for school buses making sudden stops. Remember that it’s illegal in Illinois to pass a school bus with its red lights flashing and its stop sign is out. Additionally, you need to be wary of teen drivers leaving school premises or picking up siblings or friends. As inexperienced drivers, they’re more likely to make mistakes that result in an accident.

On Halloween, many kids take to the streets for a fun night of trick-or-treating. Some of them are so excited that they forget about road safety, while others wear dark-colored costumes that make them hard to see at night. These are some of the reasons why the number of children killed in car accidents rises sharply on Halloween. If you happen to be driving on Halloween, you should be extra vigilant.

Be Careful When Driving in the Dark

At the end of daylight saving time, Marion drivers will be spending more time driving in the dark. Low-light conditions can undermine your ability to perceive depth, recognize colors, and see your surroundings. Also, the glare of headlights from oncoming vehicles can temporarily blind you. It’s especially important to drive cautiously if you’re an older person. Compared to a younger driver, someone who is 60 or above typically has greater difficulty judging distance and speed and seeing road signs clearly in the dark.

Keep an Eye Out for Animals

You have a significantly higher chance of hitting an animal during fall than in any other season. This is because fall is the mating season for deer, with peak activity occurring around mid-November. Therefore, you’re more likely to come upon a deer darting across the road while driving in the countryside or near a forest. Bear in mind that an adult deer can weigh more than 300 pounds, which is the weight of two adults. Colliding with a deer can lead to severe vehicle damage and injuries.

Be Prepared for the Potential Hazards of Fall Leaves

As they litter the streets, fallen leaves can pose a wide range of hazards to drivers. They can block drainage and create puddles, hide road markings and potholes, and turn into a slippery mess during rain. Even if you have new tires, your vehicle may not be able to properly grip the road when you’re driving on wet leaves.

Other drivers who suddenly slow down or park on the roadside to admire a particularly beautiful display of fall colors can jeopardize the safety of other motorists. With both fallen foliage and leaf peepers, try to keep a greater following distance to avoid a rear-end collision.

Check Your Tires

Just before the beginning of fall, you should check your tires to see if they have enough tread. Tires with adequate tread depth help your vehicle stop faster and steer better on both wet and dry surfaces.

Also, make sure your tires are inflated to the right pressure so that your car will deliver a smooth and safe ride. Regardless of the weather, your tire pressure will drop 1 pound per square inch each month. With the cooler temperatures in fall, the decrease in pressure will accelerate, so you need to inflate your tires more often. As a general rule of thumb, tires will lose 1 psi of pressure for every 10-degree drop in temperature.

Beware of Sun Glare

As the sun moves closer to the horizon in fall, drivers in Marion are exposed to more intense glare. During sunrise and sunset hours, the sun can shine directly into your eyes and reflect at low angles off windows, buildings, and other vehicles. Glare can momentarily distract and blind you, making an accident more likely. Make sure your windshield is free of dirt streaks and other marks that can worsen glare. Sunglasses can also help to reduce glare, especially those with polarized lenses.

Drive Cautiously in Foggy and Frosty Conditions

Fog and frost are harbingers of winter that can make driving more difficult and dangerous. Dense fog on a chilly autumn morning can reduce your vision and distance perception. If your vehicle has fog lights, this is the time to use them. These lights shine low, wide beams along the road, allowing you to see the edges of the street.

It’s important to note that fog lights are supplementary lights meant to be used along with your headlights. Avoid using them alone as they have a very short range. Also, don’t turn on your high-beam headlamps in foggy conditions. They worsen visibility because the light they emit will bounce off the fog and back into your eyes.

Toward the end of fall, temperatures may be cold enough to turn moisture on the road to ice in certain spots. Frosty road surfaces can make your vehicle harder to control, especially if you’re driving at a high speed. Pay special attention to overpasses and bridges, as these structures tend to freeze more quickly than ordinary roads.

Besides being extra careful on the road, you also have to properly prepare your vehicle for fall. To prevent unpleasant surprises, consider coming to Volkswagen of Marion for servicing before the cool season begins. From a tire rotation to a battery inspection, our factory-trained technicians can perform a wide range of maintenance tasks to make sure that your car is ready to handle all of the driving challenges that come with the season. Don’t hesitate to contact us if you need more information about our auto services or want to schedule a service appointment.

Posted in Exploring Marion