Over the winter months, temperatures drop, and ice and snow can be quite common – as scenic as it is, if you are going to be driving it can be much trickier to get where you want to go, and sometimes driving conditions can be very dangerous.
Before you go anywhere in the winter it is a good idea to make sure that you are up to date with the weather forecasts. Even if you are planning to travel locally, it is worth checking as even short local trips can be perilous in bad weather, and roads that you are used to driving may be much more unpredictable.
To tackle some of the issues caused by ice and snow, road gritters will be sent out to grit main roads when the weather forecasts freezing temperatures, however it is important to be aware that not all roads will be gritted as this would take too much time and too many resources.
You will notice that gritting vehicles use chapter 8 chevrons like these chevron kits so that they are easily visible and they will also have signage on the back saying spreading so that you can see that the vehicle is being used to grit the roads. Local councils work with the met office to ensure that they are aware of the impending weather conditions and so they can get the gritting vehicles out when needed.
When it comes to driving in snow and ice, the best advice is don’t if you don’t need to. However, often we still need to be able to get to work or to go out for other reasons, so here are things that can help you if you do need to go out in icy conditions…
Leave plenty of room – When driving behind another vehicle make sure that you leave a larger gap as the stopping distance will be longer.
Don’t Accelerate harshly – Make sure that you only accelerate gently in ice and snow as you are less likely to experience wheelspin.
Clear windscreens and windows – It is illegal to drive a vehicle without having good visibility so make sure that you give yourself plenty of time before you leave to clear the windscreen of ice and snow properly.
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