Stuck in a blizzard? A stranded motorist's survival guide

Last Wednesday's blizzard froze traffic along Lake Shore Drive in Chicago, stranding hundreds -- maybe thousands -- of motorists in their cars overnight. If you're stuck in traffic, or in a snowbank on the side of road, what's the best way to conserve fuel though a winter's night? Jeffery S. Phillips, of J&J Automotive in Syracuse, is president of the 250-member Service Station & Repair Shop Operators of Upstate New York, Inc.

OK, I'm stuck on the Thruway somewhere between Weedsport and Waterloo. The traffic just stopped, and I don't know how long I'll sit here. It's late, sub-zero weather. What do I do?

Well, first, the obvious stuff. Get your bearings. Make a game plan of what happened and why you've stopped.

Should I just turn on the heater and sit back?

You don't want to run the car the full-time. I would run it, say, twice an hour for 10 minutes at a time -- to maintain the heat in the motor. If you don't know how long you'll be there, you definitely don't want to run out of fuel, because then, you're totally stranded. ... Based on how much fuel I have, I would try to calculate how long I think I'll be there and how long the fuel will last. ... But you only want to run the car for a few minutes at a time, to keep the charge on the battery and keep heat in the vehicle.

Am I better off running the heater full-blast?

I would keep it midway. When you first start it up, you'll get colder air, until you start pulling the heat.

How about the vents?

I would close off the vents that draw air from the outside, so the heater recirculates interior air. You're not really worried about the windows fogging up.

Is there a danger of fumes?

Yes. There is a danger of carbon monoxide from the exhaust. You must be aware of that. .. If you're in deep snow, you want to get outside and make sure the tailpipe has room to vent.

So at a certain point, I need to get out of the car.

You need to survey the area, see if traffic is moving up ahead, keep the car cleaned off -- so that if somebody does try to get by you, they can see you and not just snow... Again, if you've backed into a snowbank, and you're letting the vehicle run, you don't want those fumes coming up into the vehicle.

Does revving the engine help in any way?

Waste of gas. You'll get more by letting it idle.

Should I listen to the radio, or is that burning extra gas, too?

You'd want to get onto a news channel. While the vehicle is running, the radio won't be a problem. When the engine is off, you definitely don't want to run the radio. You could run the battery dead.

Am I better off in the driver's seat? Passenger seat? Lying down?

I would say stay in the driver's seat. You want to be alert to what is going around you. ... I wouldn't lie down, because if traffic does start to move, you're not going to be aware of it.

Plus, fumes could put me to sleep, right?

Yes. And if you do smell something, crack the windows, let in some fresh air. When you turn on the heat, let it work on recycling the warmer air already inside the vehicle. That'll warm it up quicker. ... Once you've got heat coming through, cycle it from the outside, so you're drawing in fresh air. That way, if you have any fumes, it will help draw them out.

What if I'm in a hybrid? Am I OK?

The way they're designed, they should be just as efficient, if not more. Remember, of course, that to get heat, the motor has to run in most hybrids, anyway. So if it's cold, the vehicle is going to start the engine. But in idle, your vehicle will run for a long time.

If I have a full tank, should I be able to stay warm through the night?

Most cars, you should be able to. No problem. On a full tank, you could probably run it for a half-hour every hour and still be able to make it.

Any other ideas?

Obviously, you want to think about the trunk -- sleeping bags, blankets, anything that will keep you warm. ... I would always try to keep the vehicle ready to go, in case traffic starts to move. ... If the traffic starts moving, I think you take a risk of getting hit, if you're out in the middle of a highway, trying to clean off your car. ... Also, going off wandering, trying to figure everything out -- I don't think that's the best idea. If everybody stays with their vehicles and things clear up, the traffic can move. Remember, if just two people in two cars, in two lanes aren't there, nobody can move behind them.

--Hart Seely can be reached at hseely@syracuse.com or 470-2247.

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