Yes, it's cold and yes, it's snowing but don’t keep your car static for a long time. Winters can be unpredictable. To avoid any unforeseen damage, it’s smarter to learn about the nearest tire repair shops before it's time to call on one of them. Stop making excuses and wishing for summer to come soon. While you may be worried about the type of accidents that can happen during the winter, learning safe rear-wheel driving before heading out can turn you into a pro in the snow.

So get your winter gear on and place yourself in the driver's seat of your rear-wheel drive car, truck, SUV, or other vehicle and review some driving tips to use while heading out on winter's slick roadways. Here’s how to beat winter if you have a rear-wheel drive vehicle.

Having the right set of tires on the ground is crucial to match the season. When winter comes, winter tires, sometimes called snow tires, are the ones you need. This helps in increasing the grip between the tires of your rear-wheel drive vehicle and the roads in order to prevent skidding, sliding or even getting stuck in high snow accumulations — all of which could end up with you finding your way to the area repair shop.

Add some weight to the rear of the car to increase the amount of leverage your vehicle has on the rear axle. This helps to prevent tire spins because there is an increase in the amount of grip your rear tires have on the road. You can use bricks, cement pavers, bags of sand and anything else that adds enough weight to help your vehicle rear end get more traction. If you do end up getting stuck, sand or cat litter sprinkled around the rear wheels can also help get you unstuck.

Remember to not have a hard grasp on your steering wheel because if you end up holding it tightly when the back end slips out, you might lose control. This can lead to you over-correcting your spin and just making it worse, such as sending your vehicle in opposite direction of where you want to go.

Your vehicle may seem amiable but you won’t get anywhere if you try to speed things up, especially on icy or snow-covered roads. Use gentle pressure on both your gas pedal and brake pedal. Try to test drive your car on a side street, deserted street, or parking lot to know your vehicle's limitations and what speed you need to drive.

When you have limited slip differential installed on your rear-wheel drive vehicle, the effect on its tires, clutch, and gears are the same, which severely limits spinning tires. Having a limited slip differential on your vehicle helps to eliminate potential mishaps and moves the vehicle as a single, cohesive unit.

Take a deep breath and follow all of these safe driving techniques because we don’t want you to spend your winter vacation or holiday in a tire repair shop or other shop. Use these tips and your rear-wheel drive vehicle will get you and your family and friends where you're going in one piece and on time.