Safe Driving During The UK Winter
by RICHARD JENKINS
Driving can be dangerous at the best of times. Driving whilst the British winter is in full swing can be even more dangerous. Clear days which provide good driving visability are rare. Grey days which limit visabilty are much more common. These are just typical days. When the weather turns really bad driving can become very dangerous.
The usual advice when the weather turns bad is to stay at home. However such wisdom is not always practical.
Given this, as the winter approached it is wise to take into account the following precautions.
Firstly it is important to check the overall condition of your vehicle.
Check tyres for the correct tread. The legal requirement is a 1.6mm tread depth but in wintry conditions it is safer to have 3mm
Make sure all your lights are operating correctly. Remove any grime from the plastic covers.
Check to see your car battery as a full charge. If it has not then it is best to replace it. Remember cold, winter morning can be harsh to any battery.
Top up your windscreen washer reservoir. You should also add to it a non freezing windscreen washer fluid. Assess the condition of your wipers both front and rear.
If your car has not had a service for a year then it is wise to have one.
Other sensible other precautions include:
Keep in your car a screen wiper and a can de-icier.
Keep as much petrol in the tank as possible. Long delays are UK roads are a common feature of winter. Running out of petrol in such conditions can be dangerous.
Keep your mobile phone fully charged.
If the weather turns bad whilst driving then switch on the local radio station. This will provide you upto date travel news.
Snow and ice can make driving incredibly dangerous. Even worse is when snow falls without prior warning. This results in roads that haven't been gritted.
If you do find yourself driving in snow or when there is ice on the road this is what you should do:
Turn the steering wheel gently and smoothly. Aggressive steering can result in skidding. For the same reasons you should avoid aggressive acceleration too.
Reduce your speed and avoid sudden braking. Whenever you can use the engine brake (changing down into lower gears) as well as the brake pedal. This will help you avoid locking the wheels. If the wheels do lock-up it is likely that your car will slide out of control. To help correct this release the brake pedal to help the wheels regain traction. Then brake, gently and gradually whilst changing into the low gears.
Create more distance between you and the vehicle in front. In can take up to 10 times longer to stop in icy conditions.
To prevent wheel spin try and use the higher gears as much as you can.
Statistically driving in fog is the most dangerous road condition in the UK. When fog is really bad it is wise to park somewhere safe and wait for the fog to lift. If however you find yourself driving in fog this is what you should do.
Reduce your spped, turn your headlights to dip and turn on your fog lights (if visibility is less than 100 metres).
Keep in your mind that fog is patchy. You may enter a clear zone but dense fog may lie around the corner.
Turn on your wipers and demisters.
Richard Jenkins is owner of the driving test and driving schools website. A site for learner drivers which provides guides on topics such as the driving theory test and the driving test DVD.
