In the past, I have asked a question on this exchange regarding driving a well-maintained car across the East Coast of the U.S. In that particular question, I wanted to know if it were safe for a car to drive those distances in such a short period (turns out it is actually optimal).
Now, I wonder whether or not it will be safe for me, not only my vehicle.
I have virtually no experience driving in wintry conditions. I've lived in snow when I was younger. I know how to prepare myself for it, but I do not know how to prepare or maintain a car in it, nor how to travel potentially long distances through it. The trip from FL to NY (Buffalo) is about ~1.3k miles (~2k km), where, by mid-December, I think it would be reasonable to expect icy conditions on more or less half the length of the route.
I have twice the experience driving the distance, not any for the conditions. As a virgin to driving long distances in such conditions, as a vehicle owner and operator, what are the more important notes one should regard when doing this thing?
There are potentially endless notes one could make on such a topic, so for "more important," I mean things which most who have experience with these matters would agree upon, things of common knowledge/conventional wisdom/norms.
For an answer:
- perhaps some qualities of the conditions not inherently obvious to a newbie;
- perhaps some of the potential actions of other drivers on the road which may not inherently make sense to a newbie;
- perhaps some recount of a quote or of personal experience driving through such conditions;
- and/or perhaps a list of items which may be desirable to have or prepare to have for the trip,
would be sufficient.