Toyota Winter Driving Tips & Giveaway
Vancouverites don’t normally have to contend with weeks on end of snowy, slushy, slippery streets like the rest of the country, however we could definitely use an education in winter road safety all the same. Last month Toyota Canada hosted a winter driving workshop at the Richmond Olympic Oval and offered up a few driving tips for locals:
- Tires: Check the air pressure since cold weather causes tire pressure to decrease and that can affect the degree of grip your tires have with the road surface. The condition of tires also is important as worn or damaged tires can hamper your driving ability. It is best to replace tires before the tread depth is the regulatory 1.55mm.
- Winterize: Be sure to check your battery, oil and all fluids, brakes, lights, and engine belts and hoses. What works in warm weather may not work so well when temperatures fall.
- Plan Ahead: Before heading out check weather and road conditions and ensure you have plenty of time to reach your destination safely. Around here Drive BC is a great resource where you can learn about current road conditions and check out several BC highway webcams. You can also follow @DriveBC on Twitter.
- Ice & Snow: Be sure to clear off any ice and snow from your vehicle before you hit the road (especially if you just came from the mountain). I’ve been on the freeway when a sheet of snow (2 inches thick and 3 feet wide) has fallen off the roof of the car in front of me. Pretty scary. Also, clear all of your windows and your mirrors to enhance your own lines of sight.
- Cruise Control: Avoid slipping into auto-pilot as you’ll want to feel the responsiveness of your vehicle yourself.
I think most of all, common sense is paramount. Avoid speeding, tailgating, and follow the regular rules of the road with caution. I was told on my driver’s test that the posted maximum speed is the limit “under ideal conditions” so take your time if you need to. While there’s rain in the city, the Sea to Sky, Highway 1, Coquihalla, and local mountains have already seen their share of severe winter conditions.
To help you out this season, Toyota is offering up a prize pack for one of my readers, valued at $100. It includes: A Toyota Winter Car Kit (including everything from jumper cables and bungee cords to hand warmers), some snacks for the road, and a Starbucks gift card. Here’s how you can enter to win:
- Leave a comment on this post (1 entry)
- Post the following on Twitter (1 entry)
I will draw one winner at random from all entries next Thursday, January 12, 2012 at 1:00pm.
Update The winner is Jewel!
248 Comments — Comments Are Closed
Best blog/contest ever!!!
Safety first! 🙂
Would love to win this as our emergency kit has been depleted and/or outdated!
Every car should have something like this!
Great prize – and great blog!
I agree with Tim, every car should have one of these!
This is a great contest. Everyone should have this in their car.
What a cool program, we’ve always put our winters in our vehicle. We’ve also grumbled and thought “okay…so where’s the snow already?!” Being prepared is definitely reassuring and makes for calmer driving, especially when the conditions do get worse. Timely giveaway as ever Miss 604!!
This is an awesome prize! Something everyone should have in their car.
Definitely important to drive more slowly and give everyone plenty of space.
Great prize!
i drive an 87 toyota tercel…you’d think i’d already have one of these.
Thanks for the giveaway!!!
Tweeted
https://mobile.twitter.com/#!/Carolineinbc/status/155061941574959104
Very useful prize
Tweeted
https://twitter.com/#!/86_angel/status/155063658785939456
Every car needs an emergency kit, no matter how mild the weather in the area is. Great prize!
thanks for the winter tips!
Good tips for winter driving Toyota!
Great prize for my car!
Bought my very first car yesterday! I NEED this!
Gift cards are always welcome 😉
winterize me
Count me in. 🙂
Winter is coming
It’s always good to be prepared
If your car isn’t winter ready (like having no snow tires or bald tires) and it dumps snow, please just stay home if possible!
OOhh, there’s some excellent tips there, thanks !
Would love to win this. Thanks for the winter tips.
great prize!
Would be great for my toyota!
Always good to get reminders on winter road safety
Great winter car kit; great advice. Also, not the time to be talking on cell phones!
A great prize!
I definitely need this!
Winning!
Such a useful prize!
Drive safely folks!
Great idea to how to teach people the dangers of winter driving – thanks for the giveaway!
Good tips, the kit will go well with our Corola!
Be Safe out there.
this would be very nice lolz
Could definitely get good use of this lol.
Awesome contest!
Very practical.
This is a really cool contest!
Hey, I own a Toyota! I’d love the prize pack!
Great giveaway!
I need a winter safety car kit!
Wow! How practical! I’d love to win this. It would be perfect for me.
Great tips…also don’t forget to travel with a blanket, candle and matches in the winter.
Good tips!
Nice prize, thanks for offering it!
Jumper cables would be a good idea! And a nice hot starbucks! Good idea toyota!
Pick me! Our Edmonton winters are worse than yours!
Would love to win this super useful prize 😀
Great contest.
Great prize!
Good tips for winter driving.
Great contest and prize!
Great prize! I really really need to get some jumper cables for my car!!
I Love Toyota!
great emergency kit
i hope I win.
Great blog
Would love to give to my father for his Toyota Corolla!
Great to have a chance to win a truly practical prize!
tweet
https://twitter.com/#!/LilleaBrionn/status/155210641500684288
In addition to safety items, I always keep a bit of packaged food in my car for emergencies.
Could definitely use this; we don’t have an emergency car kit
This kit is a great idea and necessary for winter driving.
An emergency kit for the car and a snack…..great contest!
emergency kit for the car perfect!
Great giveaway.
would love to be entered.
love this as my husband doesn’t have an emergency kit in his car
Entered
Thanks for the contests
I love to be prepared for any situation!
We are buying our first car in a couple of weeks – would love to win!
https://twitter.com/#!/aslancat/status/155348077216149504
Tweeted
What a prize!
Thanks Rebecca!
Great little driving survival kit!
I own a Toyota if that makes any difference lol (an Echo and it’s been fabulous-no problems whatsoever!)
Gotta love Toyota!
Lovely prize
Yay! Winter stuff!
I don’t have a winter kit for my car and would love to win this prize.
I loved my Toyota Echo!
Safety first!! And then coffee.
We have had a wet winter so far but you never know when it might snow so it is good to be prepared.
Great contest! Thanks for the opportunity!
Great prize! It would be very useful!
This is a very useful prize, would love to win it!
I hate winter driving!!! great prize
Every car should be equipped with a winter kit
Purchase winter tires and drive safe out there
Keep emergency equipment in the trunk during the winter season (blanket, flashlight, etc).
Cool contest!
Good luck
Great prize!!
What a great prize! The Starbucks gift card is just icing on the cake!
What a great prize idea! Everyone should have the essentials in their car especially during cold winters.
Tire pressure is very important, especiaaly with our dark wet roads in winter.
A Winter Car Care Kit with a Starbucks card, you can’t beat that!
I could definitely use this – the jumper cables I have in my car are a little rusty and frankly I’m afraid to use them!
great contest! keep safe and keep warm!
Great contest, and a very useful prize! Thanks!
https://twitter.com/#!/pockets_blog/status/155503550082990082
tweeted it
With a new baby on the way I should really look into getting a safety kit for the car!
Awesome prize!
Great prize, something we’d need, thanks for the chance!
Tweet: https://twitter.com/#!/henglish/status/155596296416276480
this is a must have for driving would love to have it in my car
great prize
and I tweeted too
https://twitter.com/#!/garfan11/status/155651934202761216
My kit is old, I would love to win this!
This would be great for my sister’s car!
Great prize
great prize once again, please enter me.
twitted
https://twitter.com/#!/cotec007/status/155719646417399808
Great tips ! Thanks for the giveaway also.
tweeted https://twitter.com/#!/amt946/status/155725181032202242
Like to be prepared for whatever adventures I go on.
Good to be prepared for winter situations.
Not so wintery in Toronto yet.
https://twitter.com/#!/ReallyLuckyDog/status/155749158878326784
Yet another great contest. I had a bunch of stuff stolen from my car including my jumper cables so would love to win this.
great prize! thanks!
Great contest. The Richmond Oval is a gorgeous venue.
This kit is very helpful now that winter is upon us.. Brrrrr. 🙂
Here’s my tweet
https://twitter.com/#!/SueSueper/status/155767383989039105
My parents would love this kit for their Camry!
Tweeted: https://twitter.com/#!/choonkitng/status/155780986188206080
Thanks for the great contest Miss604 and Toyota
https://twitter.com/#!/ameecq/status/155780988348276736
great winter driving tips
https://twitter.com/#!/emilovadragneva/status/155780983537418240
Need emergency car supplies.
The best hint for winter driving is drive to the conditions. Slow down. This is a great prize.
https://twitter.com/#!/Teralex4/status/155786527971094528
Yay Toyota! I love my Echo, and am happy to hear about such workshops!
Great contest!
I agree the common sense is of the utmost importance; too many people do really dumb things while driving in the winter. Thanks!
This would make a great start to a winter driving kit for my car!
My “new” used Toyota could use this as I haven’t had time to get it myself!
My Toyota would be very happy to win this! 😉
thanks
https://twitter.com/#!/greeeneyedwhwom/status/155854650829049857
Our corolla is in need of some winter stuff.
great prize, thanks for the chance
This will be perfect in my trunk and definitely come in handy.
something every car owner should have
nice kit
looks like a good kit
love to have one for my car
It would give a peace of mind to have one of these in the van
Great giveaway! Would love to win this as I have two new drivers driving my Toyota Echo around ~ good luck everyone 🙂
Thanks for the great giveaway!
Tweeted.
http://twitter.com/#!/jasmyth10/status/155979424880267264
Very nice prize.
It’s only common sense to carry something like this in your car. Nice Prize.
would be great for my mom
timely prize.
Great prize.
Great tips + ideas for safety checklist! Thanks for the chance to win kit.
https://twitter.com/#!/toothfairycyber/status/156111189699604482
tweet
I own a toyota camry but am lacking this kit. Would love to win.
This will be very useful in Kamloops!
Crossing my fingers for my road test..
please enter me – my mom owns a toyota!
This is the best prize for a Canadian winter driver – let’s face it – it’s always when you least expect it, that you get stuck somewhere! I was once, and a good samaritan helped me while my kids kept warm in the van. I love friendly Canadians!
(And who can turn down Starbucks on a cold winter day?)
What a helpful, thoughtful prize.
great tips for Winter driving!
Winter safety is a must! Thank you. 🙂
Safety first! = )
Winter travel kits with emergency supplies are so important to carry in your car during our Canadian winters. They certainly give you peace of mind!
Tweet~ http://twitter.com/glogirl3/status/156216155160313856
I could use a Winter Car Kit. Thanks for the winter driving tips.
tweeted
https://twitter.com/#!/Butterfly_012/status/156249907324395520
Great idea to be prepared for winter driving! I think most Canadians could really use a kit like this!
I tweeted!
https://twitter.com/#!/RebTheCatSitter/status/156253503755534336
A winter driving kit would come in very handy for me. I’m always nervous about things going wrong with my car when I travel long distances in the cold.
tweeted:
https://twitter.com/#!/LisaJLKHansen/status/156262033464111104
THE TIRE PRESSURE IS A GREAT TIP not everyone knows that, i didnt until a few years ago
i tweeted
https://twitter.com/#!/roswello/status/156328483310669825
Great contest, thank you and thank you Toyota! 🙂
I could really use some new jumper cables, I have no idea where my set from last winter went.
Seattle and Toyota a very good combo.
I could really use this car kit from Toyota.
useful – great prize; I’m in!
tweeted
https://twitter.com/#!/ginette4/status/156424012904415232
I would love to win this for my daughter to keep in her car!
Very great ideal to have this kit in your vehicle…you just never know!
Big fan of Toyota products … still driving my 2000 Echo to this day. Took it on a roadtrip down to Southern Cali’ in October 2010 with my brother … no problems at all … ran smoothly start-to-finish.
would love this package since the only thing my prelude currently has is an oil thing in my trunk!
I’m ready to get winterized!
would love to give this to my bf’s parents!
Thank goodness we don’t have winter here.
wow, would love to win this. I drive a toyota rav4 and this would be a great thing to keep in the vehicle, since I have none of this stuff, and defiantly could use it.
Great suggestions and prizes
very useful prize
Great tips. Hope people learn to slow down in less favourable conditions.
Safety needed, always! I remember the last huge snowfall – we definitely were NOT prepared!
Ah man…I have been meaning to buy jumper cables for a while now! This would be perfect.
great giveaway for that winter picnic our road trip.
This would be an awesome kit for my daughter’s first car!
Very cool!! Thanks for the giveaway
Would love to win this for my mom!
I’m in need of some new jumper cables!
Winter shminter … -j
i’d love to win this!
what a fantastic prize..
thanks
Awesome prize. Winter driving essentials! Would love to win this.
just discovered your site, enjoyed it very much.
please put my name into the giveaway!
I’m ready to be winterized!
i dont have any of these for my car!oh noooo!
Sigh, my car really needs this. 🙁
Nice! Thanks for hosting this giveaway! 🙂
Safety first!
Great prize!
Would go great with our 97 toyota 🙂
I’d love to win this prize as I recently needed jumper cables and didn’t have any in my vehicle!
Great idea for a prize! Could definitely use it for our 4Runner with 300K clicks!
Perfect for my dad. 🙂
A must HAVE !! for BC’s mountain Highways and Passes !!
Awesome prize!
great contest!
Yes please!
Love this
Great tips.. Thanks for the giveaway!
Nice tips, thanks for sharing!
This would be great!!
would love to win
Awesome
Great Contest..Good Luck Everyone!
sure why the heck not =)
Let’s hope for no more snow this year
Just got my first car & this would be super useful.
Need an emergency kit!
Awesome…my car would love this!!!!
I love my Toyota… all of my Toyotas!
Great Winter tips, and great contest! Hope I win! =)
yay toyota! 🙂
neat-o!!! 🙂
great contest. Everyone could use one of these kits.
My tires are looking a little worn. Could use a nice winter car. Thanks!
I need this badly 🙂
Winter has come. Keep me safe and sound!
mmmmm…handwarmers….yes!
Slow down and be aware of the conditions & traffic around you. Saw two accidents this morning!