You live in Canada, after all, so know about winter driving

Many New Brunswickerswho experience winter every year still forget what they learned come spring: that winter driving is different.

Gary Howard, the vice-president of communications for CAA Atlantic, knows this all too well. In fact,his organization has a term for the phenomenon: "the great Canadian memory loss."

"It happens every year, and we see it with the first couple of snowstorms," Howard said in an interview on Information Morning Saint John, almost a week after two storms hit the province.

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"You have to prepare your vehicle, and you prepare the driver."

There are afew obvious things to do, he said, including looking after yourbattery and keeping your windshield-wiper fluid topped up.

There are common-sense rules, such asyou can't drive as you would in July aftera snowfall of 10 centimetres. Be smart about speed limits.

"Posted speed limits are really for ideal driving conditions," Howard said. "So when itsnows, or it's slippery, or slick or icy, you have to adjust your speed limits and your driving habits."

And there is morenuanced advice. While many cars include an engine block heater that can be plugged in, others don't require that technology. Either way, when it comes time to start the car, there's no point letting it idle longer than a couple of minutes, Howard said.

"Anything longer is actually worse for wear and tear on your vehicle, and it's not doing much good," he said. "Really, the vehicle won't start working properly until it gets movin."

Howard's most obvious advice, however,is that the season really should not come asa surprise.

"It's Canada, it's going to happen," Howard

"Getting prepared, the vehicle and yourself, [is] critical."