'Be Prepared': AAA Offers Cold Weather Car Safety Tips

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PITTSBURGH (KDKA) -- There is no worse feeling than on a cold day, you get in your car and it won't start, or you have a break down and no emergency plan.

In that event, AAA has you covered from under the hood of the vehicle to the tires and an emergency plan.

Jim Garrity, AAA spokesperson, says there are some things you should have taken care of long before the cold weather rolled in.

"Make sure your belts don't have any cracks in them. You don't want your belts snapping and in the cold weather, make sure your fluids are full. So when I say fluids, I mean antifreeze. Without enough antifreeze in there, you could come out on a morning like today, and your engine could literally be a block of ice," Garrity said.

What about those windshield wipers? Did you know there are winter and summer blades?

"Windshield wipers, making sure you have winter windshield wipers on the car and windshield wiper fluid that has antifreeze properties," Garrity said.

Many of us were always taught to warm up our vehicle before hitting the road. Those days are long gone. Unless you're driving a 1970s Ford Pinto, all you need to do now is get in and get going. In newer models, it only takes the engine 5 to 15 minutes to warm up as you're driving.

In the event there is an emergency, two words: "Be prepared."

Keep a blanket in the vehicle and bottles of water and snacks. You can also buy a roadside kit from AAA to carry along for the ride. One kit includes jumper cables, a roadside triangle, a tire compressor, a flash light and a first aid kit.

All this so when the weather turns frigid, you can keep on trucking.