Winter Motoring

With the winter weather now upon us, which brings ice and snow making driving conditions difficult, it is important that you take that little bit extra care on the roads so that you are not placing yourself at risk of having an accident whilst at the wheel of your car. After all, if you were to be involved in an accident, you may be faced with your car insurance premiums increasing or your no claims bonus being affected.

So, what can you do to reduce the likelihood of becoming involved in an accident?

Take extra care whilst driving in wintry conditions

Well, you could increase the distance that you keep between the vehicle in front and your own car as if you were to brake on a slippery road surface it will take your car longer to come to a halt. You could also take the opportunity to get your brakes checked to make sure that they are at maximum efficiency.

Whilst it is an additional expense, you could consider having winter tyres fitted to your car that will improve the road safety of your vehicle. These will provide extra grip in wintery road conditions.

You should also check your lights to make sure that they are all working and change any bulbs that have broken. Whilst it is not a legal requirement, a lot of cars these days tend to drive with their sidelights permanently on so that they are more visible to other motorists.

If snow is forecast, you could consider carrying a spade in your boot in case you get trapped in heavy snow whilst out driving. On that point, you should ask yourself the question if the weather is very bad: “Do I really need to make that journey in the car or will it wait?” – better to be safe than sorry.

You may wish to get your car serviced or at very least have a “winter motoring check” to make sure that the likes of the anti-freeze is topped up. You may also wish to consider joining the likes of the RAC, AA or Greenflag as there are more breakdowns in the winter months.

We hope that the above is of assistance.