Tag: Tips

Driving in Snow: Tips and Best Practices

God had just started to shower the beautiful snow.  Trees, house tops, cars, roads, and everything is covered with white snow giving a wonderful view. But, driving in snow is a  nightmare for new drivers. Icy roads and sliding cars make it tough to drive in snow and ice. Here are some tips and best practices for driving in snow.

Snow and icy conditions make it difficult to drive. Drivers must exercise extreme caution while driving in snow and ice. Here are some tips and best practices.


  • Do not drive until the roads are cleared
  • Start the engine and set the temperature to maximum
  • Start the glass heaters in front and rear
  • Clear the snow and ice of all the glasses
  • Use a snow scraper to wipe off the ice and snow
  • Do not use wipers to clear the ice or snow
  • Drive slowly and maintain two car  or seven second distance between cars
  • Check and maintain the fuel, tires, breaks, battery, and traction
  • If the sunlight is less, use your car lights to let the other driver know about your vehicle
  • Wear winter gear to keep your self warm
  • Set extra clothes in your car to keep you warm if the car breaks down
  • Keep salt bag or any other weight in the car to maintain traction
  • Use a de-icer to minimize the snow accumulation
  • If the breaks fail, hold the steering steadily and drive in the direction you want the car to go
  • Press the breaks on and off in case car starts skidding or sliding

Black ice is dangerous as the vehicle may skid. Further, due to unpredictable road conditions, it is not advisable to drive in ‘Cruise’ mode in long journeys. During the holiday season, it is also essential to check the weather before planning any travel. Stay warm and drive carefully during the winter. If you have any additional best practices for driving in snow, let me know. 🙂

How to get driving licence – Tips to alien dependents in Quad cities, IL

Taking your kid to the library or getting an urgent grocery from Walmart can be a challenge if you cannot drive in US. You are practically crippled if you cannot drive. I got my Temporary Visitor Driving Licence (TVDL) recently.

All these days, I was hoping to get a valid identification document once I receive a Driving licence, but  was surprised to learn that alien dependents who do not possess an SSN get a TVDL, not a DL. The TVDL is not a valid identification document, it says.

Anyways, here are some tips I followed:

Step 1: Computer test

Take the computer test after you have gone through the driving manual of Illinois. Reading the entire book once or twice will help.

You may not memorize all the rules, but it is better to remember the basic rules and signals. Passing the computer test is easier than the road test and may require one week study.

It is a must to acquire a letter from SSN office before going to the Rockford DMV office. The other documents required can be found at Acceptable Documents.

Being a Saturday, the office was busy and crowded when I took the computer test.

  1. You will be required to take a token number on entering.
  2. Once your number is called, you need to submit your required documents at the counter.
  3. The people are courteous to speak slow enough that we can understand them. So I wasn’t scared.
  4. An eye exam will be performed at the counter to screen your vision. It is similar to the one which do at the doctor’s office.
  5. After verifying the documents, you will be asked to wait to take the computer test.
  6. Once the queue is cleared, you will be asked to start the test.
  7. If you are familiar with computers and English, the test environment is comfortable.
  8. The questions appear one after the other. All are multiple choice or fill in the blanks. You will have to select an answer from the given options.
  9. If you are unsure of an answer, you can skip that question, which will appear later.
  10. Sometimes the questions are linked and are leading answers to other questions.
  11. Once you are done with all the questions (35/100), the results appear.
  12. You need not answer all the questions correctly, if you get minimum correct, you are through.

The officers will give you a Learner’s Permit after you pass the computer test. You can drive a vehicle under the supervision of a licence holder. The validity of the permit is one year. Now, you can practice driving the vehicle.

Read my subsequent posts about the remaining two steps.