What will this furry little rodent's  Groundhog Day prognostication about the rest of our Richmond winter mean for your car?

Groundhog Day is upon us and that furry little rodent will give us good news or bad for the rest of the season, as well as for the tests our car will face the rest of this Richmond winter.

If you put any stock in the groundhog, and the idea that the bucktooth member of the Sciuridae family of critters has the ability to foretell the weather for six weeks starting in February, than this is an important event. Will the groundhog provide you with a quick end to the winter season? Or will the groundhog see his shadow, scurry back in his hole and leave us all dealing with another 6 weeks of Richmond winter?

If we have more of the harsh cold, snow, ice and sleet that accompanies winter in these parts, we certainly want to remain attentive to the needs of our vehicle when driving in such conditions.

We want to make sure that our cars will start through the remaining cold days ahead. We want to ensure that our coolant/antifreeze will do its job no matter how low the thermometer takes us. 

If winter continues, we need to doublecheck the washer solvent and wipers, as well as the brush and ice-scraper because of the challenges of winter on visibility when driving. We want our heaters to provide comfort inside the car while also defrosting the windshield.

We want tires that provide the most possible traction on slippery roads and brakes that give us the best chance to stop in any situation. We want headlights and signal lights that help us see and to be seen.

It’s not that these factors aren’t important in any situation, including on the nicest summer days; it’s just that, with winter conditions, the challenges to get where we’re going safely on the roads are increased significantly. 

Hopefully, the groundhog won’t see his shadow and we’ll have a quick end to this Richmond winter. And if the groundhog is just a fuzzy, little bugger who doesn’t know anymore about the weather than a rock, hopefully, we’ll have a short winter. But, if winter continues longer than we would all like, at least we can do what we need to do to be prepared.