Safety Tip: Not Choosing the Road Less Traveled
Here's seasonal advice on when to override instructions from a navigation system or app, and what to do if you're stranded in the snow.
During heavy snowfall, a shortcut might leave you stranded and waiting for help for hours. That’s what happened to a number of Oregon drivers earlier this month.
Photo: Work Truck
During snowstorms, navigation apps and systems sometimes lead drivers down the wrong path — to less traveled side streets or remote roads that are routinely the last ones to see a snow plow.
Shortcuts can be real time-savers in good weather, allowing drivers to circumvent traffic congestion on thoroughfares. But during heavy snowfall, a shortcut might leave you stranded and waiting for help for hours. That’s what happened to a number of Oregon drivers earlier this month.
If you ever find yourself stranded or stalled during a snowstorm, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration offers this advice:
Stay with your vehicle and don’t overexert yourself.
Put bright markers on the antenna or windows and keep the interior dome light turned on.
To avoid asphyxiation from carbon monoxide poisoning, don’t run your car for long periods of time with the windows up or in an enclosed space. If you must run your vehicle, clear the exhaust pipe of any snow and run it only sporadically — just long enough to stay warm.
Originally posted on Automotive Fleet
More Safety
Clocks Fall Back Nov. 1. Is Your Fleet Ready for Earlier Darkness?
Clocks fall back Nov. 1. Help your fleet prepare for earlier darkness with quick checks for driver visibility, schedules, fatigue, and seasonal road hazards.
Read More →
Tips for Driving Safely on Halloween Night
This video features a reminder from the Connecticut Department of Transportation (DOT) and the Connecticut Police Chiefs Association, urging drivers to prioritize safety this Halloween.
Read More →
Mercedes Benz Tests CLA Occupant and Battery Protection in Side Impact Crash
Two CLA sedans traveling at 35 mph were used in a Mercedes-Benz crash test examining occupant protection and electric vehicle battery safety.
Read More →
How Technology Can Help Fleet Owners Improve Insurability
Your fleet's telematics data could be the difference between getting insurance coverage and facing higher premiums or non-renewal. Here's what insurers are looking for and how fleets can use that data to make a stronger case at renewal.
Read More →
Simple Tire Checks That Help Keep Your Business Fleet Moving
A survey found that nearly one in every 10 passenger vehicles has at least one bald tire. What's more, 27% -- more than one in four -- of vehicles are driven with one or more severely under-inflated tires.
Read More →
Small Fleets Lag in Telematics Coverage as Industry Moves Beyond Adoption
SambaSafety’s 2026 Telematics Report finds fleets with 10 or fewer vehicles monitor a much smaller share of their vehicles than larger operations, as the industry shifts its focus from collecting data to using it.
Read More →
Back-to-School Traffic Is Not the Risk Fleets Think It Is
Back-to-school traffic does not always mean more crashes. New Empiric Earth data shows why fleets should focus on when and where risk changes.
Read More →
Small Fleet, Big Exposure: How to Reduce Workers’ Comp Risks
For small fleets, one crash can trigger far more than vehicle damage. Here’s how stronger driver safety policies, training, maintenance, and technology can help reduce workers’ comp exposure.
Read More →
Who Makes the Call When Winter Weather Gets Dangerous?
Winter weather can quickly change a small fleet’s plans. Knowing when to reroute, delay, or stop can matter just as much as preparing the vehicles themselves.
Read More →
API Issues Refueling Safety Guidelines
The American Petroleum Institute offers a list of safe vehicle refueling guidelines, including ways to avoid potential problems with static electricity discharges in fall, winter, and early spring.
Read More →