Keller @ Large: Basic Rules For Safe Driving

BOSTON (CBS) - It happens every year – the first storm of the season arrives, and many of us forget everything we ever knew about how to deal with it.

Why? Hey, it's Massachusetts – you might as well ask why we drink iced coffee year-round.

Watch: Keller's Storm Survival Tips

This is no joke when it comes to the roads, where an estimated 7,000 people are killed and 800,000 are injured in weather-related accidents. The day of the winter's first snow is statistically the most dangerous day of the year to be out driving.

But if the clueless among us would just follow a few basic rules, maybe we can all make it through safely.

For starters, just because you have four-wheel drive doesn't mean it's OK to drive like a maniac in the snow. You need traction to compensate for slippery surfaces, and your fancy all-wheel drive system isn't going to give you immunity.

Then again, skidding shouldn't be a problem if you would please just slow down in the mess. It can take up to ten times longer to stop on snow or ice than it takes on dry pavement.

It's also a good idea to give your nasty tailgating habit a rest, for the duration of the storm if not permanently. The experts recommend doubling or tripling the normal distance between you and the car ahead of you, which I'm sure will come as a shock to those who like to read your rear plate without their glasses on as they drive.

If these suggestions sound like just ordinary common sense, and you question the need to repeat them, I have a question for you: how much does it cost to have a chauffeured car at your service at all times?

Listen to Jon's commentary: