While driving in and of itself can be very dangerous, driving at high speeds, especially on freeways, can present even more apparent dangers. And if you add bad weather conditions, it might feel like you’re asking for some kind of accident to happen. Luckily, there are things you can do to help mitigate your risk of getting into a dangerous situation when driving during sketchy weather. To show you how you can do this, here are three tips for traveling on the freeway in bad weather conditions.

Increase Your Following Distance

If the roads you’re driving on are slick or there are other factors making it hard for you to maintain complete control of your car at all times, one of the safest things you can do is to increase the distance between you and other cars. While you might not have control over how closely someone is following you, you can control how close you follow the cars in front of you. According to Real Simple, you should leave about 100 yards between you and the car in front of you, especially when weather conditions are bad. Even if this might seem like a lot to you now, if you’re needing to stop suddenly, you’ll be glad that you have this space between you.

Don’t Let Your Gas Tank Get Too Low

When the weather gets scary, you want to know that you’re prepared to face anything that gets thrown at you. Especially in cold weather, part of being prepared is ensuring that you have enough gas in your car to keep your motor running for your heater. According to the American Red Cross, this means never allowing your gas tank to get too low. While this might mean that you have to make a few more pit stops to refuel before you run too low on gas, you’ll be grateful that you have this fuel if you need to pull over for a while and the let storm pass. With enough gas in your tank, you’ll be able to keep your car running and use your heater, air conditioner, and lights.

Keep An Eye On Vehicles Around You

Although you might want to focus completely on yourself and what’s happening within your own car, it’s important that you’re also aware of the cars around you when you’re driving through bad weather. According to Travelers.com, this is especially important when driving near bigger vehicles like semi-trucks, as they might get whipped around more on the road and can cause more damage to you than a smaller car. So if you see something scary happening with cars in front of you, make sure you adjust so you can avoid whatever problem they’re experiencing.

To ensure you’re able to stay safe during your road trips, consider using the tips mentioned to help you when driving during bad weather.