Winter Storm Linus is dumping heavy snow across much of the Northeast, creating hazardous road conditions throughout the region. Linus is already responsible for Detroit’s third heaviest snowstorm on record.

This week’s tip focuses on safety measures that fleet drivers can take before they hit the road after a snowstorm. Sometimes drivers grow impatient while digging their vehicle out from the snow and try to take shortcuts or aren’t thorough enough.

But driving with snow or ice remaining on the vehicle can have disastrous consequences if it later dislodges and obstructs the driver’s view of the road. Also, snow or ice inside the tailpipe can lead to carbon monoxide poisoning.

One common mistake is to try to accelerate the digging-out process by pouring hot water on the vehicle – a good way to shatter the windshield. Yet another blunder is to use a shovel to remove snow from the vehicle. That’s likely to cause damage to the body or paint job.

Here’s a AAA video offering tips on how to prepare a vehicle for the road after a snowstorm. You may want to pass this along to your fleet drivers as a friendly reminder. To view the video, click on the photo or link above.