Tornado Safety Tips For Drivers

AAA Oklahoma offers the following tips for drivers who find themselves in a motor vehicle when a tornado warning is issued:

• Leave your vehicle immediately and seek shelter.
• Never try to outrun a tornado. Your vehicle will offer no protection from a twister. Plus, it is impossible to know which direction a tornado may decide to go.
• Seek shelter indoors. A basement is safest. Closets or small interior rooms are best. Get under a sturdy piece of furniture or mattress and stay away from south and west walls and all windows.
• If you are caught in the open, with no indoor buildings available to you, find a ditch, ravine or low-lying area and lie flat. Stay away from roadway overpasses.
• Do not seek shelter in a mobile home. These structures, even if tied down, offer little protection from tornadoes and should be abandoned.
• A "tornado warning" means a twister is developing or is actually on the ground. It is more severe than a "tornado watch," which means conditions are favorable for the development of severe thunderstorms, which may or may not spawn tornadoes.
• Remember, wet roads mean poor traction. Conditions are most dangerous during the first ten minutes of a heavy downpour as oil and debris wash away. Driving on wet roads in the rain is just like driving on ice. Take it easy. Allow extra time.
• Never use your motor vehicle's cruise control feature in rainy weather.