Those beautiful fall leaves, rain or foggy conditions, or the beautiful pristine snow can cause accidents. In January 2000, Kansas City Chief football star Derrick Thomas was critically injured and later died as a result of a highway accident. That same day, a 29 car pile up on I-29 north of Kansas City claimed numerous lives. Think Safety. The following winter driving information is from the Missouri Driver Guide 2000 pages 82-85.

* Before you drive, clean all snow and ice off your windows, headlights and taillights. Be sure your windshield wipers and defroster are working.

* When driving on snow or ice, start slowly and smoothly. If you start to spin, try clearing a path by driving backwards and forwards a few times. If that does not help, spread some abrasive material like salt, sand or cat litter around your wheels. Your drive wheels may throw up gravel or ice and cause an injury.

* Try to get the feel for the road. Gently brake while driving to see how slippery the road is and then set your speed for the road conditions.

* Leave a safe distance (about 8 to 10 seconds) between you and the vehicle ahead of you. Remember one second equals a count of "one thousand and one."

*If you want to slow down or stop, apply the brakes gently and smoothly. Slamming on your brakes will cause you to skid. On slippery surfaces, pump the brakes by gently pushing down and letting up on them several time. If your vehicle is equipped with anti-lock brakes refer to the owner’s manual.

* Bridges and overpasses will freeze and become slippery before other parts of the road. Even on clear roads, icy patches may still exist.

* Do not use your four wheel drive on ice! Four wheel drives can easily overturn on ice. If you hit an icy patch, take your foot OFF the accelerator.

Rain mixes with the dust and oil on the road to form a slick, greasy film. Fallen leaves can also become slippery. The wet pavement may make it harder for you to stay on the road on curves. It takes longer to stop your vehicle so be sure to slow your speed and leave a save driving distance between you and the vehicle in front of you.

On wet pavement, your tires may ride on the water rather than on the pavement. This is known as "hydroplaning" and it means a loss of traction and control. Hydroplaning can happen at any speed over 35 mph. In a severe rainstorm, the tires can lose all contact with the road at 55 mph.

* If you think you are hydroplaning take your foot off the accelerator and slow down. Do Not Hit your brakes that may cause you to skid.

* Have good tires with deep treads on your vehicle.

* Keep your tires properly inflated.

* Slow down in rainstorms or when the pavement is wet.

Handling a skid is the same for front-wheel and rear-wheel drive vehicles.

* Take your foot off the accelerator, but do not hit the brakes.

* Gently turn your steering wheel in the direction that your rear wheels are sliding.

* Be careful not to brake or turn sharply. Hitting the brakes or jerking the steering wheel will only make the skid worse.

It is very dangerous to drive in fog. If you must drive in fog, you should:

* Slow down.

* Be alert and ready to stop.

* Keep your headlights on low beam. You will see less if your headlights are on high beam.

* If the fog becomes so thick you cannot see, pull off the road and stop. Leave your lights

on.

* Slow down.

* Pull over to the right and sound your horn.

* Do not swing over into the left lane. The other driver may pull back over into that lane too.

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