Advice for winter driving
Last updated | 07/10/2011
Slippy roads can occur from October onwards so don't get
caught out. Speed is a factor in many road accidents,
particularly in poor weather conditions.
The road might be slippy on the next corner so SLOW DOWN and
avoid sudden braking.
Remember that weather forecasts are sometimes wrong, and the
weather (and the road conditions!) can change rapidly.
Be alert - when you turn onto a side road, remember that it may not
have been salted yet.
Use dipped headlights if the visibility is reduced. Only
use foglights when visibility is seriously reduced.
Check the weather forecast first. If it is bad, consider
using a different route - a main road or a low level route.
Do you use the same route, and leave at the same time, as you do in
the Summer? Think about leaving earlier, and using main roads
that will be gritted.
After a road has been gritted, it still takes time for ice to
melt. The salt has to dissolve and be spread about the
road by traffic before the ice will disappear. So don't
assume that the road will clear when you see the snowplough go
past.
Salt gets less effective as temperatures get lower. In very
cold weather, even salting the road will not prevent it from icing
up.
Many cars have outside temperature gauges. These measure air
temperature but it is the road that freezes, not the air.
Road temperatures are often 3°C or 4°C different from the
air temperature, and as much as a 10°C difference has been
measured.
