Winter is here and as we prepare ourselves for this cold, we also need to prepare our vehicles. Winterizing, or preparing your car for snow and ice conditions can really make a difference in winter driving conditions. To help ensure your vehicle is ready for safe driving, follow these tips.

Test your car battery. Car batteries aren’t forever. Don’t wait for yours to fail and leave you stranded on a 20-degree night. You can check the condition of the battery with a computerized battery tester.

Refill fluids. Be sure to check to levels and conditions of your vehicle’s oil, coolant, brake and transmission fluids, antifreeze and refill as needed.

Perform regular maintenance. Things like brakes can ware off after a while, it is important to make sure they aren’t worn or cracked before we start dealing with icy conditions. Check if the windshield wipers are performing well, if car lights are working properly, and lastly, run a battery load test.

Check tire tread depth.  In the winter, worn down tires are your worst enemy. If you try to get through winter with low tire tread, your likeliness of sliding increases dramatically.

Prepare an emergency road kit. An emergency road kit is integral to preparing for winter and many people don’t have one! What happens if you get stranded in cold weather because your battery died or some other unfortunate event? The emergency road kit should include a blanket, jumper cables, flashlight, first-aid kit, flares, snacks of some sort, water, ice scraper and a bag of sand or kitty litter for tire traction. This list can vary depending on what things you have in your vehicle already, but these should be the basics.

We are very reliant on our vehicles to get us to and from places. To ensure that your vehicle survives this winter, take these tips and winterize your vehicle.