Although I love the snow and I have been building snowmen all week winter driving is very hazardous and to avoid having an accident, if you must drive in the snow and ice you should ensure that your car is properly prepared.
Before you leave you should ensure that your tyres are correctly inflated and you should have a minimum tread of 3mm on your tyres. This will assist with wet and slippery conditions and hopefully help avoid you crashing your car.
In colder weather, your battery will run down quicker so make sure that you do a regular long journey to keep your battery topped up.
You should ensure that your screen wash is topped up and use a proper anti-freeze.
Although you should clear snow and ice from your windscreen before setting off you should never use water to de-ice as hot water can crack your glass and the water will re-freeze on the screen or on the ground where you are standing. This could cause you to fall over and have an accident!
You should always be prepared for the worst and keep some warm clothing and a blanket in the car in case you get stuck. You should also make sure that you have some food and even a hot drink in a flask if possible. Another handy tip is to keep some old bits of carpet or some cat litter to put under your tyres should you get stuck in the snow. And of course a shovel will come in very handy!! My car is going to be full even before I get Mrs Thom and the kids in it!!
The Institute of Advanced Motorists recommends that if you are driving in snow you should ensure that your speed is right. Not too fast in case of losing control and not too slow either as you don’t want to lose momentum. Start gently from a stationary position and avoid revving to hard. If you do find that your car is starting to skid then you should remember to take your foot off the pedals and steer. You should only use the brake if you cannot steer out of trouble.
If you do get trapped in your car try to stay warm by running the engine.
However it is very important that the exhaust pipe is not blocked by snow as the toxic fumes can get into the vehicle if it can’t escape.
