Driving Safe in Snowy Weather

If you’re looking forward to coming to Gatlinburg for a nice ski down the mountain then you may end up driving here in the snow. Gatlinburg has seen enough snow this winter to need to warn people of the dangers of driving on ice. Anyone staying in one of our Gatlinburg cabins (or any other company for that matter) should know how to be safe driving in the snow. We’ve put together a few tips that can help you stay safe during your trip.
  1. Never drive if you feel like you won’t have control! Don’t drive in poor weather conditions. That’s what trip insurance covers.
  2. Keep an emergency kit available in your car. It most likely won’t happen, but if your car happens to get stuck while driving up the mountain in Gatlinburg TN and you have no cell phone reception what are you going to do? It’s a good idea to carry items that can help you like snacks, a flash light, and maybe some good snow boots to help you walk to the nearest shelter.
  3. Make sure you have jumper cables.
  4. Have all emergency information available to you and to someone not on the trip. Don’t forget your AAA card, health insurance card, and photo id.
  5. Purchase an ice scraper for your windshield.
  6. Bring some good snow coats (again just in case you have to change a tire and endure the snow.)
  7. Fill up on gas and oil. Don’t drive on the mountain if you’re empty.
  8. If you have the choice of two lanes, drive in the one that’s not beside the river, or edge of the mountain.
  9. Wear your seat belt.
  10. Don’t drive on cruise control.
  11. Try to stop and accelerate slowly.
  12. Don’t stop on an incline if you can avoid it. It is a lot more difficult to avoid sliding on ice when you have to push the acceleration.
So far Gatlinburg has seen several of very icy nights this winter. One of the reasons why we thought it would be a good idea to post this list is because we’re not known for having bad weather. We’re actually a pretty safe place to drive most of the time. However, this kind of reputation can cause people to not plan on bad weather. They forget to drive carefully and take more risks than they normally do. Please be safe this winter.