It's been almost a decade since we had serious snow here in Central Texas. I was working the night it fell and drove home in show for the first time in my life. I took my time and thought I had things under control. I gave myself plenty of time to stop at the stop sign at John Paul Jones and West Nugent, but I didn't stop. Nope. Just kept smoothly sliding into the intersection. Thankfully no other cars were on the road and I was able to gently steer myself in the right direction. Still, it was intense.

People like me who've grown up in Central Texas and not done much driving in snowy conditions are lucky to get home in one piece. I certainly was. Unfortunately, many aren't so fortunate according to NHTSA data compiled by MoneyGeek.

They found that Texas ranks #10 among states with the most winter driving fatalities. Michigan topped the list along with 8 other states in which snow is routine. "The only exception is Texas," they write, "where snow rarely falls, but when it does, drivers are not accustomed to it."

It's not just snow, though. We get our fair share of ice here in winter, and I see people spin out or slide around all the time.

MoneyGeek has several recommendations to help you drive your best in winter, which you can check out here. Among them is having a dedicated set of winter tires, but that's not something we're likely to do in this neck of the woods. Still, you should have your tires checked out. It's also not a bad idea to have some emergency supplies, blankets, warm clothes, and defrosting  spray and scrapers in your car too just in case.

Here are three more tips from MoneyGeek:

  1. Don't hit the brakes. Braking makes the slide worse; ease your foot off the gas instead.
  2. Turn into the slide. Turn your wheels in the direction the back of the vehicle is sliding.
  3. Don't overcorrect. Overcorrecting causes the car to keep spinning and is more likely to cause an accident.

May I also recommend keeping your radio tuned to our station? We'll keep you updated if severe winter weather rolls in, and we'll keep you company on the road as always. We love riding shotgun with you.

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