With winter weather just around the corner, Halifax Regional Police is sharing some basic winter safety tips for motorists.

• Make sure your vehicle is prepared for winter weather: winter tires, extra windshield washer fluid, a shovel, a bag of salt or sand in case you get stuck, a snow brush and an ice scraper are all a must.
• Plan ahead by checking the weather forecast and road conditions. Allow extra time to reach your destination if the conditions are going to be bad.
• Before you hit the road, clear all snow from the roof, hood, license plate, windows, mirrors, lights, turn signals and cameras of your vehicle.  Scrape/defrost your windshield if necessary.
• Don’t drive distracted; keep your hands on the wheel and your eyes on the road.
• Adjust your speed, leave extra space between you and the vehicle in front of you and remember not to accelerate or brake too quickly when the roads are slippery.
• Be mindful that winter conditions also create challenges for pedestrians who may walk in the road way to avoid snow-covered or icy sidewalks.

Think before you park on the street. When and where you park in the winter can have a big impact on clearing streets and sidewalks, which in turn, can affect road safety. In Nova Scotia, vehicles can be towed any time during the day or night, any day of the year, if they are interfering with snow-clearing operations, as per Section 139 of the Nova Scotia Motor Vehicle Act. In addition, Halifax has an overnight winter parking ban that is in effect from December 15 until March 31; however, it’s only enforced during declared weather events and clearing operations. When the ban is enforced, it restricts any on-street parking between 1 a.m. and 6 a.m. and vehicles in violation of the ban will be ticketed and/or towed.

To help you make responsible parking choices, you should ask yourself:

• Is it snowing or will to start to snow before I’m ready to leave?
• Is the overnight parking ban currently being enforced?

• Will my vehicle create a safety issue if I park here?
• Will parking here make the road impassable?
• Are snow operations underway in the area?

If the answer to any of these questions is yes, don’t park on the street.

Source: Release