Winter worries aren’t limited to slick driving conditions. Snowfall quickly turns into slush and road crews do us all a favor by laying down sand, and sometimes salt, to ensure we make it home safely. But there’s a price we pay for those essential wintry weather safety precautions.
Bits of gravel caught up in a truck’s tires may go airborne, launched from a spinning wheel that hurls that small rock towards your car. It’s not just a windshield that might get chipped. You may incur those same kind of damages to the front end of your vehicle. Some drivers are getting fed up with the hazards flying gravel poses to vehicles travelling at highway speeds.
Here’s some tips on how to avoid front-end damage from small projectiles.
Fall back and keep an extra measure of distance when following a truck loaded with gravel. It may even be worth it to pull off the road and allow the truck in front of you to pull ahead, extending the distance from the truck’s tires to your windshield. If you are forced to stop, start slowly and give that truck time to pull out ahead of you 30 or so yards before it reaches highway speeds.
Despite your efforts, it you do get a ding from a piece of flying road debris, don’t stop unless the damage obscures your view of the road. Many a pedestrian has been struck by vehicles when stopped by the side of the road. Wait until you have a safe place to pull over and check the damage.