Winter Driving Safety Tips From Hanser's Towing In Montana

Winter weather is rolling into the Treasure State, making road safety a top priority. Shel Hanser from Hanser’s Towing shares essential tips: prepare your vehicle, protect by staying home if possible, and prevent accidents by driving cautiously. Remember, having an emergency kit in your car can be a lifesaver during unexpected delays on icy roads.

Justin Dubail
NonStop Local Multimedia Journalist

MONTANA – With snowstorms expected to hit the region, staying safe on icy roads is crucial. Hanser’s Towing offers expert advice on navigating winter conditions.

Shel Hanser, co-owner of Hanser’s Towing, shared that they have received numerous calls due to icy road accidents recently. “When winter storms hit, we can get up to 100 calls in a day of people needing tows,” Hanser said.

Hanser emphasized the importance of following the three P’s for safe winter driving: prepare, protect, and prevent. “Prepare is easy, there’s a lot of technology, lot of ways to make sure your vehicle maintenance is good, your battery your tires,” Hanser explained. “Protect is easy if you can stay home, sometimes the risk is not worth the reward to go to maybe go across town to get food if you don’t need to get out. And the last one is simple it’s just prevent, and as a driver just slow down, all the things we just talked about, make sure that you’re aware of the surroundings and you have proper distance between you and the next driver.”

Hanser also advised using resources like MDT 5-1-1 to check road conditions and closures before traveling long distances. He recommended keeping an emergency kit in your car, including food, water, and items to stay warm, in case you become stranded. “You know last year there were people trapped or stuck for over 20 hours on the Bozeman pass, and if you weren’t prepared for that, that could be catastrophic,” Hanser stated.

Joe Giacomini, a tow truck driver, highlighted common calls during this season. “Most of them are like slide outs, where people slide into ditches and we have to wench them out. Hopefully they can be driven away once they get wenched out, but in case there’s damage we can tow them away,” Giacomini said.

Giacomini noted that braking too hard and not slowing down properly are common mistakes leading to accidents. He advised, “If you feel yourself start to slip — tap your brakes lightly to get your car to gradually slow down.”

For more information on road conditions, visit MDT 5-1-1.