COLORADO SPRINGS — On Wednesday, a lot of people in Colorado Springs were scrambling to get things like their tires checked in preparation of the approaching storm.
In snowy and icy conditions having proper tires, good wiper blades, making sure your fluids are topped off, and simply knowing the rules of the road can help you and other drivers stay safe.
Matt Theobald, owner of Academy School of Driving, said, "Cars crashing on the freeway, sliding into one another, cars sliding off the road."
It happens all too often when winter weather hits southern Colorado and something Theobald tries to prevent.
"My biggest concern is making sure everybody's safe on the road."
One of the biggest lessons for his students and every driver out there is to "plan ahead. That's just it - plan ahead. Leave early, take your time. If you don't have to go anywhere don't."
Besides not being prepared he said the most common mistakes people make when driving in snow and ice are going too fast and following too close.
"They say a safe following distance on snow and ice is about 12 seconds."
Preparing your vehicle for wintry conditions is just as important, especially your tires.
Daymen Tiffany, owner of Christian Brothers Automotive Rockrimmon, said, "It's the primary contact that your vehicle has with the road and so if the tires aren't good, really, none of the other systems on your vehicle will work properly."
So before you hit the road this time of year make sure to check your tread.
"You're going to want to make sure that you meet the manufacturer's tread depth. At 2/32nds is when those tires are considered bald."
In addition to checking your tread Tiffany said, "As the temperatures go down your tire pressure will also go down and so you're going to want to check that tire pressure."
Even if you're the owner of a four-wheel drive vehicle remember that "four-wheel drive certainly helps you go, but it doesn't help you stop."
An easy way to test the tread on tires is to use a quarter. If you put it in the tread groove and it touches the top of Washington's head you're good to go.
