Michelin’s Top 10 winter driving tips

1. Avoid the winter slip & slide - Change your allseason tires to Michelin winter tires before the first snowfall to ensure your vehicle is ready for Canada’s wild winter weather.

2. Don’t be a peephole driver – Scrimping on scraping might get you to your destination faster, but it’s a dangerous driving habit that needs to be broken. Leave yourself a few extra minutes so you have time to clear all the windows of your vehicle.

3. Winterize your trunk – Keeping a road safety kit in your trunk year-round is a smart idea, but winter driving conditions call for special safety gear. Ensure your vehicle is equipped with items like a windshield scraper, lightweight shovel and a bag of sand so you’re always prepared for whatever Old Man Winter throws your way.

4. Replace worn tires – Worn or bald tires can be dangerous, so it’s important to check your tires each winter season to ensure that they are safe. Tires have tread wear indicator bars molded into the tread. When you can see a solid bar of rubber across the width of the tread, it is time to replace the tire.

5. Don’t mix and match – Mixing your tires with different tread patterns,

internal constructions and sizes compromises the stability of the vehicle. Ensure your vehicle is equipped with four identical winter tires.

6. Top up your fluids! – Ensure that you always keep your gas tank at least half full. On very cold days, anything that’s less than half a tank could freeze. And don’t forget about your windshield wiper fluid too.

7. Pump up your tires! – Tire pressure decreases as temperatures drop, so be sure to check the pressures at least once a month and tire pressure is best checked when your vehicle has been sitting unused.

8. Watch the weather channel – Check the local weather forecasts and road conditions before leaving for your destination.

9. Bring a cell phone! – For long travels, don’t forget to bring a cell phone just in case you need to pull over to the side of the road, stop your vehicle and call for help.

10. Buckle up!

These are the findings of a Michelin Survey conducted in Canada between March and June 2006. For the survey, a representative and randomly selected sample of 627 adult Canadians were interviewed by telephone.

Dedicated to the improvement of sustainable mobility, Michelin designs, manufactures and sells tires for every type of vehicle, including airplanes, automobiles, bicycles, earthmovers, farm

equipment, heavy-duty trucks, motorcycles and the space shuttle. The company also publishes travel guides, hotel and restaurant guides, maps and road atlases.

Headquartered in Laval, Quebec, Michelin North America (Canada) Inc. (www.michelin.ca) employs 3,800 and operates 3 manufacturing plants.

Michelin products are available at Sheardown Auto Tire and Glass in Bolton, 905-857-2200.