Up until this week, we’ve all been lucky to enjoy a relatively mild winter. Throughout most the country, there has been more rain than snow and more days of 50 degrees than 15. Unless you are a polar bear or an avid skier, this has been a good thing. You have been able to save on your utilities bill, not had to worry about your car starting in the cold, and not had to brave dangerously slick roads on the drive to work.

That is, until yesterday, when most of the Midwest and Northeast were blanketed by the season’s first major snow storm. You probably noticed that most people around you have forgotten how to drive in such snowy and icy conditions. To make sure that you don’t become one of those drivers, Pat Goss provides some simple but often forgotten tips on how to drive in snow, ice, and when you should break out the tire chains.

Here’s to you having a safe driving winter from CARCHEX!