32 | DECEMBER 2018
Motoring
Read online at www.proinstaller.co.uk
DON’T LOSE
YOUR GRIP
THIS WINTER
Winter brings with it diffi-
cult driving conditions, so this is
a good time to remind everyone
how to drive safely when the tem-
perature drops below zero. When
we expect freezing conditions, we
normally get a weather warning
from the Met Office, however you
should always take extra care
when travelling in winter. IAM
RoadSmart’s head of driving and
riding standards, Richard Glad-
man, is offering advice to motor-
ists to better cope with driving on
road surfaces that are covered in
frost, ice or snow.
1. If the weather conditions
are severe in your area, you
should take notice of police
advice and simply do not
travel. However, in exceptional
circumstances if you must go
out then make sure you drive
safely with extra caution on
icy roads.
2. At least triple your stopping
distance and approach every
junction expecting to stop
well before the stop or give
way line (it can take up to ten
times as long to stop accord-
ing to Highway Code advice).
Every steering, acceleration
or braking input should be as
smooth and gentle as possible
and select 2 nd gear when
you pull away in icy condi-
tions (less torque will help
prevent wheel spin).
3. Salt will often make the wind-
screen, headlights, number
plate and rear parts of your car
very dirty. Cars without head-
lamp washers, for example,
will lose an estimated 40% of
luminosity and possibly all their
focus in about 20 miles on a
damp, gritted motorway. When
travelling long distances, it is
advised that you stop regularly
at service stations to clean your
windscreen and headlights with
a clean cloth. Or keep a filled
bottle of water in the car boot
to give your lights, windows
and mirrors a quick wash over
– a handy investment is to top
up your windscreen washer res-
ervoir when needed too.
4. Never ignore any warning
lights. If one appears then get it
checked out sooner rather than
later. Being stuck on the side
of the road is never good but
breaking down in freezing con-
ditions is a high-risk situation.
5. Always carry a winter driving
kit including an ice scraper,
de-icer, blanket, torch, shovel,
something to eat and a fully
charged mobile phone.
6. When driving on a busy road
avoid overtaking a gritting lorry
as the road ahead may not be
treated yet. If you have any
doubt, don’t risk it. And make
sure to never overtake a snow
plough in heavy snow condi-
tions.
7. While roads may be gritted to
give you better traction, some
areas may not be completely
treated which can leave ice
patches exposed. You should
therefore drive at a steady
pace, ensuring the safety of
you and your passengers. On
the roads you use regularly,
watch out for water running
across the carriageway as this
can wash away salt.
8. It’s important that you keep
your car clean throughout
the winter as the salt in grit
can cause corrosion to any
exposed parts. Ensure that
you thoroughly wash the
underneath of your car when
you can to stop salt from
settling.
9. Don’t forget to wash/rinse
alloy wheels too; the smallest
scratch can quickly become a
large corroded area.
10. Just because the winter sun is
out does not mean the roads
might not be icy. Micro cli-
mates of icy patches will lin-
ger in areas such as bridges
and exposed sections, where
the sun has not yet reached.
11. Keep the tread on your tyres
above 2mm (ideally 3mm),
the more tread you have the
more water they can cope
with. Letting your tyres get
down to the legal limit of
1.6mm is not recommended,
and don’t forget you can al-
ways consider winter tyres if
you are in an area where they
will benefit you. The follow-
ing link will give good safety
tips https://www.tyresafe.org/
tyre-safety/
www.iamroadsmart.com