developing your smart driving skills Prepare for winter driving In B.C., we need to make sure our vehicles are prepared for  winter driving conditions: • Make sure your car’s battery is in good condition. • Check the exhaust system. Any leaks can be extremely  dangerous because carbon monoxide can collect in cars  when the windows and vents are closed. • Replace oil and other fluids with winter‑grade products. • Install four snow tires. This will improve vehicle handling and  control when you’re driving through slippery conditions. Using chains on icy roads is a good idea. Make sure you are  familiar with how to mount chains on tires — practise putting  them on your vehicle before you need to use them. In extremely bad conditions, it may be safer to park your vehicle  than to continue driving. Driving and the environment Cars and trucks use over half the world’s yearly oil supply. We  know there is a limited supply of oil.  Automobiles and light-duty  trucks emit almost two-thirds of the common air pollutants in  the Lower Fraser Valley (Greater Vancouver Regional District,  1998 Emissions Inventory). Most air‑conditioned vehicles manufactured before 1995 also  contain chloroflorocarbons (CFCs) which are a major cause of  the depletion of the ozone layer of the earth’s atmosphere. carbon nitrogen sulphur hydrocarbons acid rain drought smog respiratory diseases habitat damage global warming dying forests greenhouse gases 26 One out of every two Canadians owns a car or light truck and drives about 19,800 kilometres per year,  according to Environment Canada statistics. Exhaust emissions from cars and trucks are one of the  leading causes of climate change, urban smog and acid rain. On average, each vehicle releases over  four metric tonnes of air pollutants per year.