A woman was driving through a national park during a blizzard. Unfortunately, the poor road conditions caused her to lose control of her vehicle. The car slid off the road and rolled down an embankment. Although she was only a few meters from the highway, the leg and arm she had fractured in the accident prevented her from exiting the vehicle. Her car was spotted by a grader operator who was plowing the road the next day, but by the time the operator reached the woman, she had frozen to death.

For most of us living in Canada, blizzards are an accepted part of life. But every year blizzards and excessive cold in Canada claim more than 100 lives. This is more than the combined total from hurricanes, tornadoes, floods, extreme heat and lightning.

In Canada, blizzards can hit almost anywhere, but are especially common in the southern prairies, Atlantic Canada and the eastern Arctic. Blizzards deserve the same respect that we would pay a tornado. Many of us who hear of a blizzard warning will carry on as if there weren’t any danger, but blizzards warrant preparation and caution.

The combination of snow, strong winds, cold temperatures and reduced visibility (due to the blowing snow) can be deadly.

One winter when I was driving a snowplow along the Jasper-Banff highway, my colleague and I were about to close the road due to a blizzard when we came across a man who had lost control of his vehicle. He had been there at least two hours. There was very little traffic, so he was happy to see us. The man was dressed in summer loafers, dress pants and a light fall jacket. He had no mitts, toque, shovel or any other type of survival gear, and was almost out of gas. Obviously, this man was not prepared for what could have become a life-threatening situation. Here are a few recommended precautions for driving in Canadian winter:

• Don’t travel in a blizzard unless it’s absolutely necessary. If you must travel, call the local authorities to see what condition the roads you are planning to travel are in. Monitor conditions on the radio. Always travel with a full tank of gas, extra warm clothes including winter boots, mitts and a sleeping bag.

• Also carry a shovel, tire chains, road flares, a bag of sand, an emergency food pack, booster cables, matches and a lighter, a candle, a flashlight, a fire extinguisher, and a hatchet or axe.

• If you get stuck in a blizzard, stay in your car, run it for 10 minutes with the heater on then shut it off. You don’t want to waste gas. Make sure you keep the exhaust pipe clear of snow and keep a window open on the leeward (downwind) side of the vehicle. This will help ventilation and reduce the chance of carbon monoxide poisoning.

• Be prepared to build a snow shelter if ever you run out of gas and are stranded in a blizzard. At temperatures approaching -30 C a candle just won’t give you enough warmth to survive if you’re in a vehicle made of two tons of steel and glass. Your vehicle will quickly turn into one large icebox.