With millions of Americans already on the road for Thanksgiving and a first wave of winter weather on its way to the Mahoning Valley, this seems like a great time to consider how to stay safe on our roads and highways.

If you’ve lived in Ohio long enough, you’ve heard — and probably said — “If you don’t like the weather here, just wait five minutes and it will change.”

An Ohio-themed meme might be slightly exaggerating how quickly conditions can change here, but there have been occasions in the Buckeye State when it does seem like we can experience all four seasons in a matter of a few days.

It’s funny to think about, but there is a serious side to winter travel in Ohio and other Great Lakes states such as Indiana, Illinois, Michigan, Minnesota, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin. All of them have something scary in common. They are among the most dangerous winter-driving states.

Michigan, in fact, is the most dangerous state for winter driving, per Jalopnik, which describes itself as a website dedicated to the culture of cars. A January Jalopnik article ranked Michigan No. 1 among the 12 most dangerous U.S. states for winter driving.

The rest of the ignominious list includes: Alaska, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Montana, Illinois, Wyoming, Wisconsin, South Dakota, Minnesota, Colorado and Indiana.

So ease up on the gas if you’re traveling this week. Grandma will keep the Thanksgiving spread warm for you. It’s better to show up a little late than not at all.

AAA offers the following winter-driving tips:

LONG-DISTANCE WINTER DRIVING

● Be prepared: Have your vehicle checked by a AAA Approved Auto Repair facility before hitting the road.

● Watch the forecast: Check the weather along your route and when possible, delay your trip if bad weather is expected.

● Stay connected: Before hitting the road, notify others and let them know your route, destination and estimated time of arrival.

COLD-WEATHER DRIVING

● Stay warm: Keep a bundle of cold-weather gear in your car, such as extra food and water, warm clothing, a flashlight, a glass scraper, blankets, medications, and more.

● Good tires: Make certain your tires are properly inflated and have plenty of tread.

● Get gas: Keep at least half a tank of fuel in your vehicle at all times.

● Common sense: Never warm up a vehicle in an enclosed area, such as a garage.

● No cruising: Do not use cruise control when driving on any slippery surface, such as on ice and snow.

DRIVING IN THE SNOW

● Stay home: Only go out if necessary. Even if you can drive well in bad weather, it’s better to avoid taking unnecessary risks by venturing out.

● Slow down: Always adjust your speed down to account for lower traction when driving on snow or ice.

● Drive slowly: Apply the gas slowly to regain traction and avoid skids. Don’t try to get moving in a hurry and take time to slow down for a stoplight. Remember: It takes longer to slow down on icy roads.

● Don’t tailgate: Increase your following distance to five to six seconds. This increased margin of safety will provide the longer distance needed if you have to stop.

● Know your brakes: Whether you have antilock brakes or not, keep the heel of your foot on the floor and use the ball of your foot to apply firm, steady pressure on the brake pedal.

● Don’t stop if you can avoid it: There’s a big difference in the amount of inertia it takes to start moving from a full stop versus how much it takes to get moving while still rolling. If you can slow down enough to keep rolling until a traffic light changes, do it.

● Don’t power up hills: Applying extra gas on snow-covered roads will just make your wheels spin. Try to get a little inertia going before you reach the hill and let that inertia carry you to the top. As you reach the crest of the hill, reduce your speed and proceed downhill slowly.

● Don’t stop going up a hill: There’s nothing worse than trying to get moving up a hill on an icy road. Get some inertia going on a flat roadway before you take on the hill.

There always seems to be a flurry — pun intended — of weather-related accidents during the first big storms of the season as people become acclimated to the changes. One of the best ways to avoid trouble is to give yourself enough time to get where you’re going safely.

Ease off the gas a bit and decrease your chances of being involved in a life-changing — or deadly — accident.

editorial@vindy.com