After record snowfalls, insurers noted an increase in applications from car owners. And not only because of accidents - snow fell on cars, trees fell. What to do if your car is pierced through by an icicle, flattened by snow falling from the roof, or damaged by a snow blower?

First of all, you need to call 112 and call the police. It was the police, because the car stood still and what happened cannot be considered a traffic accident.

Take pictures in detail

While the patrol car is driving, the victim has something to do. It is necessary to carefully film what happened and it is better not only in the photo, but also on video. In the pictures, in addition to the damage itself, there should be the car itself from different angles.

No less important is the binding to the area, for example, the house number should get into the frame, some architectural details that allow you to accurately determine the location. It will not be superfluous to photograph the roof, the visor of the building or the balcony, from where the pieces that damaged the car fell. There should be traces of snow or ice.

“In no case do not remove the traces of the incident,” advises senior legal adviser Dmitry Smakovsky.

Look for witnesses and cameras

Surely someone saw the ice fall on the car or heard the roar. Or at least, can confirm that the car was parked exactly here and at that time. So it is important to stock up on the phone numbers and addresses of at least two witnesses, to know their names and surnames.

Surveillance cameras have been installed in many yards. And not only urban ones - they can be owned by commercial enterprises or even private individuals. Somewhere you can get a record just like that, somewhere it will be provided upon request from the police. It is important to do this quickly - the cameras record “in a circle”, and events that occurred several days ago may not be saved.

“Recordings from city cameras can be obtained by calling the hotline of the video surveillance system and asking to save the recording in the archive, clarify the place and time of interest to you. It is important to do this within five days after the incident, otherwise the entry will be deleted. Your application will be assigned a number and you need to contact the police with it. Law enforcement officers, in turn, will receive and give you a record on electronic media, ”says Dmitry Smakovsky.

Make a protocol

The police officer must draw up a report on the inspection of the scene. It is important that he describes the damage in as much detail as possible, indicating the place and time. It will take about two weeks to review the case, after which the car owner will receive a document confirming that his car was damaged. If the PPS crew never arrived, for example, due to heavy snowfall, you can draw up an inspection report yourself. In addition to a detailed description of what happened, it should contain the signatures of two witnesses - lawyer Dmitry Zatsarinsky advises photographing witnesses next to the car.

What happens next depends on insurance - the presence of a comprehensive insurance will greatly simplify the matter: the lawyers of the insurance company will deal with the situation and recover damages. Typically, contracts cover damage caused by natural disasters or the actions of third parties, that is, public utilities.

Auto lawyer Sergey Smirnov specifically points out that the insurance company will need a document from the police confirming the accident with the car. If the damage is minor, for example, no more than three parts were damaged, then companies often do not require a document.

It is enough just to come to the insurance company and show the crumpled hood. Ivan Shevelkov, General Director of the Higher Instance Jurisdictional Center, draws attention to one more subtlety: as the cause of the damage, the protocol should indicate “foreign objects falling on the car”. The term "icicle" is not in the Casco agreement.

What to do if there is no Casco

OSAGO does not cover such cases, and the car owner will most likely face litigation with the perpetrators, because of which the snow damaged the car. As a rule, this is the company responsible for the operation and maintenance of the building, and data about it is most likely on the Internet. If the house is an apartment building, you need to contact the management company or the HOA, if the building is an office building, contact its administration. If the house is private, the damage must be recovered from its owner. Contacting the HOA or the management company will help determine the owner.

In addition, you need to assess the damage caused to the car. If the damage is minor, a certificate from the car service will come off. At the same time, not all owners can adequately assess the damage, so it is better to entrust this to an independent expert. In addition, his services will be compensated in court. It is necessary to invite a representative of the management company for examination, later in court the defendant may not agree with its results and the assessment will have to be carried out again. For this reason, says lawyer Dmitry Zatsarinsky, it is undesirable to repair the car while the trial is going on.

Prepare for judgment

You cannot immediately sue the culprit, you need to follow the procedure for amicable settlement - send the culprit a claim, all documents and your bank details. And set a deadline for a response, for example, 10 days. Usually, lawyers say, no one compensates anything on a voluntary basis: the defendant either remains silent or sends a reply.

Further, the plaintiff with a claim and all available documents, including an examination, goes to court. Courts are slow, so it's best to be patient and hire a lawyer to attend court instead of you. If there is no abuse or fraud attempts, the judge will be on the side of the car owner. Even if his car was damaged while parked under a no-parking sign. The maximum that he faces for this is a fine.

The only reason why the court can refuse the car owner is if the public utilities have fenced off the danger zone. Or put up a sign warning about the possible consequences of parking. But what if the car owner left the car for several days and during this period it was damaged by snow thrown from the roof?

“Any roof cleaning work must be done safely and in such a way that no property is damaged. Let's say that public utilities could not determine the owner of the car, but they must take measures so that the snow removed from the roof does not fall on this car, ”Sergey Smirnov explained.

In which case you need to call the traffic police

If a snow block or icicle hit a moving car, traffic police officers will be needed. They should be called if the vehicle has been damaged by snowplows. A tractor driver who fled the scene of an accident is threatened with administrative arrest or deprivation of rights. And the amount of repair, which is not covered by OSAGO, will have to be paid by the organization that hired him.

December of the end of 2015 in the central regions of the country began with unexpectedly strong warming. The weather made incredible temperature records, the grass was green everywhere and it was raining.

The New Year holidays have begun, and with them came severe frosts. After heavy rains, the road turned into a skating rink. And finally, the snow fell. Yes, it went at such a pace that on some days a half-month-monthly rainfall fell. As a result, the roads turned out to be uncleaned for some time, the yards were filled up a little less than completely, and the cars standing on the streets turned into monotonous snowdrifts.*

And today we will talk about what is useful to all motorists, regardless of what kind of car they drive, we will give advice on how not to get stuck in the snow, and what to do if this does happen.

The main norms of winter driving behavior can be described as follows: be vigilant, be careful and expect the most unexpected things to happen on the road!

The first thing to do in order for winter operation to be trouble-free and for you to be is to carry out the initial preparation of the car.

It only takes a couple of minutes, but the benefits of it will be incredible.

• Fill your car's windshield washer reservoir with a quality winter anti-freeze

• Check the tire pressure (winter tires should of course be), make sure that the pressure meets the technical requirements

• Put a snow shovel/scraper/brush in the trunk to clean the car from snow

• Cables for recharging the car battery should also be in the car

• And in addition to everything in the trunk should be: cardboard (from an ordinary cardboard box), and / or a bag of sand or fine gravel

• And yet, for rear-wheel drive vehicles, the axle of which is constantly unloaded, and therefore on a slippery track or in snowy yards it has a minimum clutch, it will not be superfluous to load the trunk with some heavy things. A tool or other weights can be used as ballast

The training is over, let's move on to practice. Driving on a snowy road in a car in winter

At the beginning of snowfall, pay special attention to bridges and other overpasses, as a rule, dangerous frost forms on them much faster than on the asphalt of ordinary roads. This must be taken into account.

Accelerate as smoothly as you brake. Be triple careful on the descents and ascents. On difficult sections of the road, avoid slipping of the drive wheels while driving and starting off. When driving uphill, it is important not to lose the momentum of the car, on the other hand, when going down a steep icy hill, you need to slow down and drive as slowly as possible.

On a multi-lane road, it is best to stay in the right lane. In the left lane, hot heads 4x4 will rush through anyone. These citizens are confident that modern electronics and four-wheel drive will protect them from all adversity and deceive the laws of physics. No matter how! And at the moment when something goes wrong with them, it’s better to be a couple of lanes away from them. All-wheel drive can make a car more dynamic on wet pavement or help it get out of a snowy parking lot with ease, but it does nothing to improve the car's handling or braking capabilities. Even modern sport crossover types can get out of hand on a patch of ice or on a slippery curve if they go too fast.

If, when braking, you feel a beating or pulsing of the brake pedal, and / or the word ABS flashes on the dashboard, this means that the anti-lock system function has turned on. You should not panic in this case, this behavior of the brake system indicates the presence of a slippery area under the wheels or too sharp braking.

There are a lot of tips on how to brake in a car with ABS, just like there are a huge number of braking techniques, but for most average drivers, one piece of advice is suitable. We felt the ABS actuation, continue braking, the electronics will do the rest for you.

Opposite moment, ESC activation. If, during movement or acceleration, the ESC icon flashes on the dashboard, that is, it begins to struggle with the slipping of the drive wheels, this is a clear signal to release the gas and slow down the car.

Did the car hit a very slippery area or did you notice that you are moving on the so-called "black ice"? What to do? The main thing is not to slow down (at least sharply), to avoid quick maneuvers and thoughtless pressing of the accelerator pedal.

These are the basic and absolutely not tricky rules that exist in the winter. In fact, there are hundreds more nuances, but their awareness comes with experience or after learning extreme driving.

Now let's talk about a less difficult moment. In the snow? The first thing to do if your car is equipped with a traction control system is to disable it (this is usually disabled on cars). This feature will only get in the way when the car's traction goes to zero.

Do not press the gas pedal to the floor, stop the wheel slip. Instead, use the principle of rocking the car.

On mechanics: We moved forward a couple of centimeters, squeezed the clutch, the car rolled back a little, release the clutch, move forward. At the same time, we keep the minimum allowable engine speed so that the wheels do not slip. In the same way, we roll out the snow roller behind the car.

Important! The front wheels should ideally be straight. Less rolling resistance, get out of the snow captivity faster.

Still unable to leave? Get out of the car and clear the area in front of the drive wheels, both rear and front. The chances of success will increase significantly.

If that doesn't work, throw in a couple of handfuls of sand or gravel that you've thoughtfully packed in the trunk. Throw abrasive under the drive wheels. If that still doesn't help, place cardboard or car mats under the wheels to restore traction. If these materials are not available, use tree branches or the like.

Do not forget that passers-by or other motorists will always come to your aid in the city, just ask them about it.

Of course, downshifting will solve any problems, but don't forget to downshift before you start picking up speed to avoid damage to the car's systems.

Winter is a harsh time of the year, many iPhones can turn off even when outside. After all, the operating temperature during use is 0-35 degrees.

But what if the snow hit the iPhone? We share a few tips for everyone who is worried about their smartphone.

Snow is the same water (your cap)

As less dangerous as the snow may seem, it's still the same water. And this worst enemy any technology.

As soon as it gets inside, chemical and electrochemical corrosion of elements occurs. When a large amount of moisture gets on the electronic board, a plaque of a different chemical nature forms on its contacts.

And depending on the specific case, cleaning the device can take place in different ways. The most effective method is now considered the "ultrasonic bath". During this procedure, cleaning solutions of various compositions are used, as well as various temperature conditions for deep cleaning of the board.

And this question is especially relevant in the harsh Russian winter. After all, especially often, to combat icing, wipers shower the ground with reagents.

And among them are salt- one of the active elements that is capable of strongly ruin internal components iPhone when contacts are oxidized.

1. Snow hit the screen - no problem

If you are just walking down the street and snow gets on the iPhone screen, just wipe the screen with a dry rag/napkin/sleeve. There is nothing wrong with this, and you should not worry about it.

There is too little chance that water will seep into the case. The main thing is to remove excess snow as quickly as possible.

2. iPhone fell into the snow

In such a situation, it is better not to wait. Follow these steps to keep yourself and your device safe:

Turn off your smartphone and dry properly. Since the body of the device cannot be disassembled by an ordinary user, you need to dry the device properly.

It is important not to use a hair dryer or a battery in this situation, they can accelerate the corrosion of internal components.

Be sure to remove covers and bumpers. Some of the snow may also remain in them, which then melts and can get inside the device.

To slightly speed up the process use cotton swabs, toothpicks and any other improvised means. This will help remove snow and liquid from the 3.5mm jack, speakers, and the Lightning port.

Be extremely careful, they can damage the contacts.

In no case do not connect the iPhone to charge.

Some people think that this will speed up the drying process. In fact, due to the incoming current, you can cause a short circuit, even with the iPhone turned off.

What if I have an iPhone 7 or higher?

Owners of the iPhone 7 and above are a little more fortunate, they have the declared protection according to the IP67 standard. This means that the smartphone is able to go under water at a depth of up to 1 meter for 30 minutes.

Since the snow, as such, has no depth, then you should not worry about pressure. The most that can happen is snow gets into the speakers or the Lightning connector. What to do with it, we have already told above.

Rate.

What to do when it's snowing outside?

“That's how much snow has piled up!” People say when they go out into the street in the early morning after a snow storm. The phenomenon, of course, is not new, but every time it was as if it was not expected. Therefore, we will quickly remind you what to do if it snows outside!

Territory cleaning

For those who live in a private house (country house, dacha, etc.), snowfall is always associated with the subsequent cleaning of the territory. Otherwise, neither the gates can be opened, nor the car can drive out, and it is difficult to get to the porch. Previously, a shovel came to the rescue in such a case. This is still a handy tool for light rainfall. However, if it has already piled up, then an electric snow blower will help clear the snowdrifts. It easily copes with snow drifts, quickly clears paths and platforms.

The advantage of an electric snow blower over a gasoline snow blower is that it does not pollute the environment, it does not need to warm up the engine and pour gasoline. The only thing you need is an extension cord.

By the way, you will have to clean not only the yard, but also the car. If suddenly you left it for the night without a roof, then stock up on a glass scraper. It will help remove snow and ice from car windows.

Cold head, warm feet

In snowy winters, you need to protect your feet from frost and from getting wet. Leather boots can handle this, but they are definitely inferior to the most popular Australian ugg boots, which can easily endure even 30-degree frost.

The only inconvenience of ugg boots is poor water tolerance. They don't get wet, but they can get very dirty. Therefore, it is good to have a second pair of shoes in reserve: practical and fashionable -!

Merry riding

If for adults snow is most often a chore - cleaning the territory, cleaning the car, etc. - then for children it is a continuous sea of ​​\u200b\u200bpleasure. When else, if not in winter, you can play snowballs, build a fortress, a snowman, drive hockey on the street and do many more exciting fun, one of which, of course, is skiing. Fortunately, today there are many devices for this, designed for both one and two. These are inflatable sleds (round and rectangular), and controllable, just ice floes, as well as sleds for the smallest children. In general, choose - I do not want. By the way, adults can also join. Ice is best for them. So until the snow melts, everyone is on the hill!
The weight of one snowflake is less than a milligram, but the duvet on the ground becomes like heavy weights.

Thank you for reading to the end! Please take part in the evaluation of the article. Select the desired number of stars on the right on a 5-point scale.