Winter Driving Information
During the winter months that the roads are more dangerous places to be than in the summer. Conditions will be adversely affected due to the weather including snow, fog, ice and rain. Insurance claims are more likely in winter due to these conditions.
It is therefore always advisable to take greater care at this time of the year including making sure that your vehicle is well maintained, driving slower, giving yourself more time to get to your destination and even keeping extra items in the car with you such as spare warm clothing, including a warm coat, gloves and a hat. You may even wish to carry a small shovel with you in case you get stuck in deeper snow.
In particularly poor weather, it is well worthwhile to take extra time to plan your route including staying on roads that are more likely to be treated for the adverse weather conditions.
Stay abreast of localised travel information and weather and if these seem to indicate that there may be a problem seriously question how much you need to make the journey.
If you come across a closed road, it is highly likely that this has been done for a reason, by traveling there you might be putting your life at risk and that of others who may need to rescue you, should you get into difficulties.
Make sure that you have enough fuel for your journey, this is important at all times of year, but in winter with the days being shorter and the visibility on the road being reduced, you may end up putting yourself in danger if you do need to search for more fuel, if you run out.
We can all admit to having not fully cleared our windscreens properly at one time or another, but it is an offence to drive with "poor visibility". When cleaning your windscreen, either use scrapers or a de-icer, DO NOT use hot water or boiling water from a kettle, which, due to the quick changes in temperature, can cause your windscreen to crack.
Remember that in adverse weather conditions your visbility is reduced and your braking will be less responsive, drive slower and keep a greater distance between yourself and the car in front.
There are a number of things that the major breakdown services suggest you should look at regarding your car prior to a journey at this time of year including:
- You should make sure that your vehicle has been regularly serviced. If this has not been done for some time why not think about booking your car in with your dealer, just to make sure there aren't any underlying problems.
- You should make sure that your oil and waters levels are correct. Make sure that your anti-freeze levels in the cooling system are correct, if you don't know what this should be then consult your car owners handbook.
- Before commencing any journey you should make sure that your tyres are correctly inflated and that there is at least a legal minimum amount of tread on them (for most cars this is 1.6mm). The greater the tread, the more effectively the tyre will deal with displacing water it is running through.
- Keys are an item that are often overlooked. If the key has been worn then this will begin to damage the lock itself over a sustained period of time, which in the enter months could cause you not to be able to even get in your car - let alone start it! If you have an alarm keyfob you may wish to change the batteries in it a couple of times every year to prevent being locked out at an inconvenient moment.
- Check your battery to see whether the electrolytes are at the correct level, if not, top this up with distilled water. The connections on the battery should be clean, tightly done up and free from corrosion, it is worth remembering, when dealing with your battery, that the acid contained within is extremely corrosive and could cause you or your car a great deal of damage if not given the respect it deserves.
- Make sure that your lights on your car and clean and clear from any cracks or general damage. There are legal implications to having lights that are not in a roadworthy condition. In wintry conditions, dirt can quickly build up on the light casings reducing the illumination that you will receive making it harder for you to see and be seen, especially with the nights drawing in earlier!
- Air conditioning, if you have it, will help demist windows quickly and lower the levels of condensation that exist within the vehicle.
- At this time of year you are likely to be using your windscreen wipers more often and therefore it is worthwhile checking them to make sure that they are in good condition with no rips of splits. It is well worth adding screen wash to prevent freezing.
- Lastly, make sure that you are confident using your wheel jack. Changing a flat tyre at any time of year is a pain but especially so in the winter. It may be worthwhile practicing changing your wheels a couple of times under the guidance of a family member on your driveway if you are not confident, just to get to know the procedures. Remember that if your wheels having locking nuts that your locking key can be found in the car (although safely tucked away).
Further Tips
- Keep your mobile phone fully charged for longer journeys
- If you have the requirement for some form of medication, you may wish to keep a supply of it with you, if possible, within the car in case you get stuck somewhere.
- You may wish to inform a friend or relative of a journey so that if you do not arrive at your destination, someone knows that you are missing.
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