How well do you drive in snow?

Pemco Insurance has a smart strategy of doing polls and then releasing polls to the media with the hope that we’ll write or say their name. You win on this one Pemco because I think your poll out today is interesting. It shows most Washington state drivers say they are comfortable driving in snow.

About 58 percent say they’re comfortable driving in snow, and another 58 percent said they’re safer than other drivers on the road when it snows. Only one in six said they have concerns when they’re driving in the snow.

Comparing drivers by gender, 77 percent of men and only 45 percent of women say they feel comfortable driving on snowy roads.

Although, feeling comfortable driving is not the same as being a good driver in the snow.

Exhibit A:

Only one-third of Washington drivers usually carry chains in their cars, and fewer than half of the poll’s respondents said they had ever put chains on their own vehicle. Of the 44 percent who have experience installing tire chains, a significant majority are men, 67 percent versus 28 percent of women.

And now Pemco’s helpful advice if you need to abandon a vehicle in the snow:

• Try to get as far off the traveled roadway as you safely can.
• Turn on your flashers, and leave them on. A dead battery is better than causing an accident for which you could be held responsible.
• Set out flares to warn other drivers, if you can safely do so.
• Make a reasoned judgment about whether to remain with the vehicle and call for help, or to strike out on your own. Some factors to consider are your health, clothing for the weather, distance to the nearest help, and the likelihood of your vehicle being hit while you’re inside it.
• Leave a note in the window with your contact information. That improves your chance of hearing from someone who hits your vehicle or from the authorities.
• Take your most valuable items with you.
• Be sure to remove personal information that could allow a thief to locate your home and loved ones, steal your identity or otherwise defraud you.
• Secure the vehicle by setting the emergency brake and locking the doors. Professional towing companies know how to safely tow your vehicle.