Snow can trap exhaust gases under your vehicle.
This can cause deadly
CO
(carbon monoxide) gas
to get inside.
CO
could overcome you and kill
you. You can’t see it or smell it,
so
you might not
know it
is
in your vehicle. Clear away snow from
around the base of your vehicle, especially any
that is blocking your exhaust pipe. And check
around again from time to time to be sure snow
doesn’t collect there.
Open
a
window just
a
little on the side of the
vehicle that’s away from the wind. This will help
keep
CO
out.
Run your engine only as long as you must. This saves
fuel. When you run the engine, make it go a little faster
than just idle. That is, push the accelerator slightly. This
uses less
fuel
for the heat that you get and it keeps
the
battery charged. You will need a well-charged battery to
restart the vehicle, and possibly for signaling later on
with your headlamps. Let the heater run for awhile.
Then, shut the engine
off
and close the window almost
all the way
to
preserve the heat. Start the engine again
and repeat this only when you feel really uncomfortable
from
the cold. But do
it
as little as possible. Preserve the
fuel
as long as you can. To help keep warm, you can get
out of the vehicle and do some fairly vigorous exercises
every half hour or
so
until help comes.
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