DRIVING IN WINTER



TIPS TO HELP WHEN DRIVING IN WINTER

When the weather turns bad and snow, ice or fog causes havoc on our roads the often quoted advice is simple - stay at home, this maybe wise but in reality it is not necessarily practical, with a little common sense the dangers of driving during winter months can be kept to a minimum.

Firstly as autumn draws to a close and the winter weather approaches give your car a little care and attention, make sure your tyres have the correct tread depth. 1.6mm is the legal minimum but to cope with snow and ice it is advisable to have 6mm.

Check each car light to make sure all are operating correctly, make sure your car battery is fully charged and in good repair, cold wintry mornings can kill a battery that is past it best, ensure your window wipers are in good condition.

If your car is due or nearing a service, take it in and get it checked out, if your car has any minor faults or is running out of essential fluids the winter weather will soon exaggerate them.

Buy a scraper and a can of de-icier and keep them in your car, it is also a good idea to keep a well stocked first aid kit, a good quality, warm blanket and a torch with spare batteries in your car.

Keep your tank full, winter weather can cause substantial delays, running out of fuel whilst stuck in a long traffic jam can be unpleasant and dangerous. Keep your mobile phone fully charged. You may need it to call for help.

Snow...

If you get caught in such conditions follow these rules.

When steering in snow you should turn the steering wheel gently and progressively, never snatch at the wheel turning it sharply as this can cause you to skid and lose control.

When accelerating, do so gently, accelerate to harshly and your wheels will spin.

Reduce your speed and avoid sudden braking and whenever possible use your engine to slow by changing down into lower gears.

Increase the gap between you and the vehicle in front, with snow and ice on the road stopping distance can increase 10 fold.

Keep your car in a high gear as this will help prevent wheel spin.

Fog...

When fog is at its worst you should park somewhere safe and wait for it to pass, however if you find yourself driving in fog:

Reduce your speed, turn your headlights to dip and if visibility is less than 100m, turn on your fog lights.

If the fog suddenly clears don't relax thinking you're out of danger, fog is usually quite patchy going from a light mist to a thick cloud in a matter of metres. You could turn a corner only to find yourself in a dense blanket of fog.

Turn on your front and rear wipers and your demisters.

Keep alert. Other drivers may fail to drive in an appropriate manner neither using their lights nor reducing their speed.