Motorists may want to rethink their driving Tuesday as a mix of snow, sleet, and rain is predicted for Washington with wind gusts as high as 30 miles per hour.

Washington County Sheriff Jared Schneider says the first thing he does before hitting the road during a winter event is checking highway road conditions, either with the free Iowa 511 mobile app or going to 511ia.org. Schneider says it’s also good to create a routine of setting your morning alarm a few minutes early so you can have enough time for travel in hazardous weather or to clear off your windshield and other parts of your vehicle. He also urges caution to drivers that are new to traveling during the winter, “Know how your vehicle is going to operate. For the young drivers, make sure that you know how your vehicle is going to respond when you’re driving in those conditions. Don’t wait for that first big snow to maybe take a trip. Those young drivers should probably get out there with their parents, maybe in the snow and get some experience in town to figure out how that vehicle is going to respond.”

Schneider reminds drivers to slow down when driving on icy or snow covered roads, and give yourself plenty of room between the vehicle in front of you in case they lose control and potentially cause an incident. Drivers should also look out for extra traffic enforcement now through January 1st as law enforcement across Iowa seeks to remove impaired drivers from the roads and help save lives.