Winter is upon us, and that usually means snow, ice or at least a thick film of frost on every pavement and road first thing on a morning. While pedestrians will have to try their best not to slip, motorists have more to be wary of at this time of year. Winter is the most difficult time of year for drivers, as they have to contend with patches of black ice, heavy snow drifts, freezing rain or, at the very least, a few patches of frost that show no signs of thawing.
However, there are a few things you can do to help you stay safe on the road over the next few months. They are:
- Bring some items to help keep you warm if you’re stuck in a traffic jam or heavy snowfall. A blanket, spare warm clothes such as a jumper and a hot flask filled with soup, coffee or tea are all useful.
- Drive more slowly, especially if cornering. This will reduce the risk of any accidents.
- Drive further away behind the vehicle in front of you. Again, the risk of collision will be reduced by doing this.
- If your windscreen is misting up, you should use the air conditioning system to help get rid of any condensation. It’s quicker than using heating.
- Make sure all your windows are clear before you drive. Using de-icer and a scraper will help to get rid of any frost, ice or snow that has developed on your car overnight.
- Cover your windscreen at night. This will prevent any ice from covering it, meaning you have less work to do when you drive to work in the morning.
- Keep your eyes on the road. This is important at all times, but you can never be too sure when there’s ice patches on the surface, so being vigilant will help.
- If you end up skidding, you should ease off the accelerator or take your food off the brake pedal. Then, steer into the direction in which you skidded until you regain enough grip to drive normally.