Have a question? Call us on 0800 1979 345
This article was published on November 5th, 2014
In the words of House Stark, ‘Winter is coming!’ Prolonged hours of darkness, rain, fog, ice and snow will soon be a depressingly familiar aspect of our days. Driving in such conditions can be daunting so here is a guide to facing the worst of Blighty’s weather safely.
Before you set off:
1. Ensure your battery has sufficient charge
The combined use of lights, heaters and wipers puts added strain on your battery. The RAC estimates that in the winter months they are called out to 50,000 battery related breakdowns per month.
In order to prevent this:
2. Keep it squeaky clean
Heavy rain, darkness, fog and snow all impair our visibility on the road. It is therefore essential that you frequently clean the windshield, mirrors and windows.
On icy mornings it shouldn’t feel like you are driving a tank. Don’t simply clear a hole big enough to see what is directly in front of you. Clear the whole windscreen and windows. Peripheral vision is a pre-requisite for safe driving!
If it snows clear all the snow off your roof before setting off and clean lights after journeys.
3. Locks
Prevent your locks freezing by squeezing some WD-40 onto them. If the locks do freeze, heat your key with a cigarette lighter. Don’t blow on the lock as the condensation is likely to freeze.
4. Fuel
Make sure your fuel gauge is out of the red! By doing so if you get stuck you will be able to run the engine in order to stay warm.
5. Anti-Freeze and Windscreen fluid
Anti freeze cost a couple of pounds and is invaluable in winter. Without anti-freeze the water in the engine cooling system can freeze leading to an expensive cracked engine block.
Make sure that anti-freeze levels are sufficient and that you are using the right type for your car. Never mix two different types of anti-freeze and always check its shelf life as many forms become ineffective after two years. An anti-freeze that can withstand -20c is preferable.
Windshields are likely to get covered in grit so ensure you have adequate supplies of washer fluid. Use a proper additive to prevent it from freezing.
6. For Long Journeys
This might seem archaic advice but, when undertaking a long journey consider an emergency kit, constituents of which should be a torch, a shovel, wellies, a blanket, a tow rope and warm clothes.
7. Tires
Whilst our climate doesn’t warrant the use of snow chains it is essential that you have suitable tires for winter conditions. Tires should have a minimum of 2, preferably 3mm tread.
Don’t reduce tire pressure in the hopes of increasing grip. This doesn’t work and has the adverse effect of reducing stability.
8. Preparation
Wake up earlier! An unwelcome suggestion I know, but a necessary one.
Give yourself time to clear all windows and mirrors and allow your car to warm up. Plan your route! If conditions are snowy stick to main roads as these will have been gritted.
Driving Tips:
Icy/Snowy Conditions
Snowy/icy roads make for the most difficult and dangerous driving conditions. Always listen for local weather reports to discern whether making the journey is wise!
When driving in snowy/icy conditions remember the following:
Foggy Conditions
Accidents in foggy conditions frequently involve severe car pile ups. For this reason avoid driving in fog where possible and always adhere to local traffic advice.
Should you find yourself driving in fog remember:
Rain and Floods
Andrew Barratt
If you have been injured in a road traffic accident then we offer a free initial interview in order to review your specific circumstances and assess the viability of your claim. After this, the majority of claims are dealt with on a no win – no fee basis.
Call us now on FREEPHONE 0800 1979 345, or complete our simple enquiry form.
This website privacy notice sets out how Thorneycroft Solicitors uses and protects any information that you give Thorneycroft Solicitors when you use this website.
Thorneycroft Solicitors is committed to ensuring that your privacy is protected. Should we ask you to provide certain information by which you can be identified when using this website, then you can be assured that it will only be used in accordance with this privacy statement.
Thorneycroft Solicitors may change this policy from time to time by updating this page. You should check this page from time to time to ensure that you are happy with any changes. This policy is effective from 01/05/2018.
What we collect
We may collect the following information:
We will collect the information directly from you via completion of our enquiry form on the website.
What we do with the information we gather
We require this information to understand your needs and provide you with a better service, and in particular for the following reasons:
We will also collect and process your personal data if you have consented to receiving marketing in respect of our services. You are able to unsubscribe or withdraw your consent at any time by emailing [email protected] or writing to ‘Marketing’ at Thorneycroft Solicitors, 9a Bridge Street Mills, Bridge Street, Macclesfield, Cheshire SK11 6QA.
Security
We are committed to ensuring that your information is secure. In order to prevent unauthorised access or disclosure, we have put in place suitable physical, electronic and managerial procedures to safeguard and secure the information we collect online.
Retention
If you do not instruct us in relation to your legal matter, your personal details will be retained for a period of 12 months.
If we are instructed in relation to your legal matter, we will keep it in line with our data retention periods. Details of our retention period for your legal matter can be found within our Client Care Letter and/or Terms of Business, under the heading file retention.
Links to other websites
Our website may contain links to other websites of interest. However, once you have used these links to leave our site, you should note that we do not have any control over that other website. Therefore, we cannot be responsible for the protection and privacy of any information which you provide whilst visiting such sites and such sites are not governed by this privacy statement. You should exercise caution and look at the privacy statement applicable to the website in question.
Your Rights
Google AdWords
This website uses the Google AdWords remarketing service to advertise on third party websites (including Google) to previous visitors to our site. It could mean that we advertise to previous visitors who haven’t completed a task on our site, for example using the contact form to make an enquiry. This could be in the form of an advertisement on the Google search results page, or a site in the Google Display Network. Third-party vendors, including Google, use cookies to serve ads based on someone’s past visits to the website. Of course, any data collected will be used in accordance with our own privacy policy and Google’s privacy policy.
You can set preferences for how Google advertises to you using the Google Ad Preferences page, and if you want to you can opt out of interest-based advertising entirely by cookie settings or permanently using a browser plugin.
×