Make BCAA.com your first pit stop for winter driving and car care. From choosing the right tires to prepping for the wild winds of a winter road trip, you'll find the information you need to keep your snow-bound travels rolling in the right direction.

CAA and Transport Canada have also published a handy Winter Driving Guide filled with valuable safety tips. You can download your PDF copy here or pick up a printed copy at your nearest BCAA office.

Winter Driving & Maintenance Articles

Discover the Hidden Meaning of WINTER for Canadian Road Users!

Survival tips for drivers, when the going gets frigid. 
 
Winter road trips can be treacherous if the weather turns nasty, especially for an inexperienced and/or unprepared driver. So, if you’re hitting the highway for a winter ski vacation or to visit friends or relatives, all Canadian road users should know the real meaning of W-I-N-T-E-R:  Read More

The Basics of Winter Prep

When the thermometer plummets, and you know it will, there are three things on your car that absolutely must be ready – the battery, tires and engine coolant. Read More

Starting a Car on a Cold Morning

The temperature doesn’t need to drop very far for some us to feel a sense of inconvenience and discomfort in our driveway. While drivers can’t do anything about the weather, they can alter their morning routines in ways that make winter car trips less numbing.

BCAA is reminding motorists that although today’s vehicles are more reliable then those made years ago, some things never change. Frost still forms on the windshield. Door locks ice up, batteries run down and seats seem to take forever to get warm. Read More

Prepare and Be Safer this Winter

Motorists that prepare now for the onset of colder weather will increase their safety during the winter driving season, advises the British Columbia Automobile Association in a series of articles during the month of October.

Preventive vehicle maintenance and adjusting their driving habits to allow for changes in road and weather conditions are the two most important steps that motorist can take at this time of year. Read More

Protecting Vehicles from the Effects of Potholes

The return of winter weather brings snow, ice, sleet and potholes. And the appearance of potholes brings the potential of damage to vehicle suspension components and the possibility of costly repairs, said Norm Hait, Manager of BCAA Technical Services.

BCAA is issuing the following recommendations to help protect vehicles against the jarring experience of a pothole encounter: Read More

Get Conditioned for Winter Driving

When there’s snow or ice on the road, slow is the way to go. Drive only as fast as road and weather conditions allow, regardless of the posted speed limit. And you should... Read More

Is an All-Season a Snow Tire?

A few years ago a series of serious accidents in winter driving conditions, on BC’s Sea-to-Sky and Coquihalla highways, triggered an initiative to design a new performance based standard for snow tires.

Although an all-season tire with the M/S (mud and snow) designation on its sidewall is technically a snow tire, very few really offer good performance in snow if there’s more than five or six centimetres on the ground. Read More

Tips for Weathering Winter Storms

Severe weather can be both frightening and dangerous for those travelling by automobile. Motorists should know the safety rules for dealing with winter road emergencies.

"During AAA Car Care Month in October, BCAA is educating motorists on what to do if they become stranded in their vehicle during a snow or ice storm," said Ken Cousin, Contact Centre Operations Manager. Read More

Boosting Your Vehicle's Winter Performance

Our bodies can use an extra boost of vitamin-C during the colder months. When we get behind the wheel of a vehicle and face winter driving conditions, we also need a "C" boost - additional Confidence, Control and Concentration.

Cold, snow, slush and salt can put added strain and stress on vehicles and turn minor deficiencies into major problems. When working all at once, your lights, heater, defroster and audio system (not to mention the DVD player) can also drain battery power, if the car’s charging system is not up to par. Read More

Winter Road Trip Tips

For many people, and especially for families, the ‘road trip’ is still the preferred way to travel over the holiday season.

Seventy-one percent of people, in a recent survey conducted by DaimlerChrysler Canada, said that they are willing to drive up to 750-kilometres instead of flying. More than half of all Canadians have plans to drive over 200-kilometres, this holiday season, in order to get together with family and friends. Read More