Tips of Siberians: How to survive in the cold on the winter highway

Winter is a difficult time for a car, and what can we say about the harsh winters in the Russian North, where temperatures of minus 40 are common. You need to prepare thoroughly for a long journey here, otherwise you can pay not only for your health, but also for your life. 

The Siberian edition of Amurskaya Pravda shared tips on how to survive on the road in winter, left alone with a broken car, and what to take with you when going on a long journey.

Tragic cases of deaths on the road are registered every year, when people die not in an accident, but from frost. The car breaks down, the mobile phone sits down, and the hapless driver finds himself on the verge of life and death, left alone on a winter highway. How to prepare for a long road as efficiently as possible, so as not to be powerless before the elements of winter and cold? Good advice about this is given by the staff of the Ministry of Emergency Situations and experienced truckers.

There is a law on the frosty road: the salvation of the freezing person depends only on him. No one is immune from force majeure, so you need to be prepared for everything. And anyone who finds themselves in a stalled or stuck in the snow car, first of all you need to call the rescue service number 112. Otherwise, we can only hope for relatives and friends who will start looking for the missing driver. In the cold, the ability to make a fire will save your life: the life-giving warmth will help you survive the hours of waiting.

In winter, before a long journey, you need to carefully prepare the car: stock up on fuel, carefully check the engine and battery, be sure to pour high-quality antifreeze, as well as take care of the thermal insulation of the body and hood, insulate the seats. 

While preparing for the trip, it is worth carefully studying the route, noting cafes and settlements on the highway. At the same time, it should be borne in mind that you may not even be allowed to warm up at the gas station, because it may be forbidden to the gas station staff, they risk money. In case of unforeseen situations, it is better to count on the cafe and in no case go at random.

In case of an emergency, put things in your trunk that you may need in an extreme situation: paper tape, candles, bedspreads or plastic wrap for windows, quilts, warm clothes, a sapper shovel, candles, a thermos with hot drink. 

Experienced drivers never leave the garage in winter without first taking with them fur outerwear, as well as gloves, a hat and shoes with fur, quilts. It would be useful to wear thermal underwear. By all means, you need to take care of food supplies. Bring at least a couple of sandwiches, chocolate, high-calorie nuts. Be sure to have a thermos with hot drink with you. Check the first aid kit, put in it all the medicines that you may need in an emergency.

Before the trip, you need not only to top up your phone account and charge the batteries, but also not to be lazy and be sure to warn your family, friends or even neighbors. If you don't get in touch, they will be able to sound the alarm — and help will come to you faster. In case of an emergency, first of all call 112 - this is a single emergency number for dialing from all mobile operators and landlines. Also, users of MTS and MegaFon mobile networks can dial 010, 101, Beeline users — 001 and 101.

If the engine does stall, the driver can be saved by a bonfire near the car. Therefore, it is necessary to take matches on the road in winter, and even better to bring an alcohol lamp and candles with you. In extreme cases, you can burn tires. At the same time, care must be taken with an open fire and do not ignite it in the immediate vicinity of the car.

Hot drinks in case of an emergency can only help to rub alcohol, this is only in the case when you are already warm. You can't drink in the cold, because you can lose control of the situation or fall asleep. 

You can insulate the car by pasting doorways around the perimeter with a wide paper tape. The sealing of the car doors is not airtight, and the adhesive tape will help eliminate drafts. Curtain the windows — the heat goes through the glass the fastest. This can be done with bedspreads, rags or plastic wrap. As a result, you will find yourself in a car, like a bear in a den.

There must be a sapper shovel in the trunk, with which you can dig out a car that has flown off the road, or insulate it with snow in anticipation of help. To do this, sketch a small snow shaft to the door threshold, which will allow you to shield the bottom of the car from cold air.

Good luck on winter roads!