Theresa Anderson of TMAnderson Consulting near Denver wrote the following article for National School Bus Safety Week, Oct. 17-21. She granted STN permission to reprint it here, as we found the recommendations to be easy to implement for school bus operators in the coldest climates. Plus, who knows, with the crazy weather we’ve been having over the last several years, our friends in warmer climates might also appreciate the tips.
Are you ready to roll? There are so many aspects to safety on our vehicles, we need to give consideration and due respect to the pending weather. These tips will help you get your day going safely and efficiently as these can all be used on your personal vehicle(s). As with any suggestions please check with your management prior.
Fixing foggy windshields
Cold months often mean constantly being plagued with fogged up windshields and windows, a dangerous condition if you’re on the road. To quickly clear fog without leaving a smudgy mess behind, keep a chalkboard eraser on your glass.
Alternatively, open the window and letting some fresh air in will quickly defog windows.
Fog-PROOFING your windshield
Put shaving cream on the inside of your windows and then wipe it off. Shaving cream has a lot of the same ingredients that commercial defoggers have, and it leaves a layer on the window to keep the fog off.
Fill a stocking with kitty litter which absorbs water and keep that in your bus overnight.
Before you turn your bus off each night, open the windows and let cold air in. The moisture from you and your students breathing will be replaced with dryer air.
Don’t leave water bottles or other drinks in your bus because the water becomes frost on the inside windows of your car.
Also, the AC is one of the best defoggers around. The compressor takes the humidity out of the air.
SOCKS in the GLOVE box
Tons of people swear by this trick! During winter, keep a spare pair of socks handy to put on OVER your shoes. This trick gives you better traction in case you have to push your car over ice, or you just need to walk in snow and ice for some reason.
Spare socks are cheap, compact, and always useful. Plus they’re convenient as a makeshift cloth in a pinch.
Socks as windshield wiper covers
Those extra socks can also come in handy for your wiper blades. Use an extra pair to cover your windshield wipers at night to keep the snow off of them. Raise the wipers off of the windshield and cover them up for easier de-icing in the morning.
Wiper blades frozen to your windshield
Soak a soft cloth with full-strength rubbing alcohol and wipe each blade. The alcohol will keep the blades from sticking to the window so they’ll function properly even on the coldest day of the year.
Ice-Scraper in a pinch
If you find yourself with frozen car windows but no ice scraper, you have a couple options—grab a spatula if you’re at a home, or use any plastic card in your wallet to get under the ice and scrape it away. Hopefully you’ll never forget your ice scraper again!
Mother Nature’s windshield defroster
Whenever you can, make sure to park your car facing east. Since the sun rises in the east, it will naturally defrost your windshield in the morning so you won’t be stuck scraping ice in the freezing cold. With this trick you should be able to use your windscreen wipers to do the not-so-heavy-lifting for you.
Cheap and easy DIY de-icer
If parking facing east isn’t possible (or the sun isn’t cooperating)… mix three parts vinegar with one part water and spray the mixture onto your windshield to prevent ice from forming.
De-ice frozen car doors, locks, and handles
There are several clever ways to do this:
Heat your car key with a match or lighter, then gently push the heated key into the lock to melt the ice as you apply pressure. Just be careful as that key will be hot!
Another option is to take a regular drinking straw and blow directly onto the frozen lock. The heat from your breath should melt the ice in no time.
Rubbing your key or door handle with a squirt of hand sanitizer will have the same effect. The alcohol in the hand sanitizer will melt the ice and shortly allow you to unlock your car.
Keep doors from freezing
Sometimes putting WD-40 in the keyhole before the winter will keep any ice from forming in there in the first place.
Cooking spray in the cracks of your doors and on the rubber will prevent them from freezing shut at night. Water that melts during the day runs in between your doors and freezes, but cooking spray keeps the water from resting in the cracks in the first place.
Frosty side and cross-over mirrors
To prevent ice from forming on side mirrors, cover them the night before with plastic bags secured with rubber bands or clothespins. When you remove the bags in the morning, the mirrors will be ice-free.
Editor’s Note: Anderson is the owner of TMAnderson Consulting and a former director of transportation for Jefferson County Public Schools. She may be contacted at thanders@comcast.net.
