Tips on driving in the snow

Just thought i would put this up for new drivers and to remind current drivers of the danger and best ways to drivie in the snow. As i nearly had a accident yesterday and i hopw it will help to prevent others.

Winter - respect the elements

The British winter is unpredictable. Bad weather can strike suddenly so the best advice when severe weather hits is to stay off the road. If you must drive, make sure you are prepared for the conditions.

Plan your journey

During wintry weather conditions

Ask yourself - is your journey absolutely essential?

Check the local and national weather forecasts.

Listen to local and national radio for travel information.

Tell someone at your destination what time you expect to arrive.

Make sure you are equipped with warm clothes, food, boots and a torch. In snowy conditions, take a spade.

Clear your windows and mirrors before you set out and carry a screen scraper and de-icer.

If you get into trouble

Do not use a mobile phone while driving. Stop somewhere safe or ask a passenger to make the call.

On a motorway, it is best to use a roadside emergency telephone, because the breakdown/emergency services will be able to locate you easily. If you have to use a mobile phone, make sure you know your location from the numbers on the marker posts on the side of the hard shoulder.

Abandoned vehicles can hold up rescue vehicles and snowploughs. To ensure that the road is cleared as quickly as possible, stay with your vehicle until help arrives.

If you have to leave your vehicle to get help, make sure other drivers can see you.

Vehicle condition

In winter it is even more important to check you vehicle is well maintained and serviced.

Keep the lights, windows and mirrors clean and free from ice and snow.

Keep your battery fully charged.

Add anti-freeze to the radiator and winter additive to the windscreen washer bottles.

Make sure wipers and lights are in good working order.

Check that tyres have plenty of tread depth and are maintained at the correct pressure.

Adjust your driving to the conditions

Hail, heavy snow and rain reduce visibility.

Use dipped headlights and reduce your speed.

When roads are icy or slushy

It can take ten times longer to stop in icy conditions than on a dry road. Drive slowly, allowing extra room to slow down and stop.

Use the highest gear possible to avoid wheel spin.

Manoeuvre gently, avoiding harsh braking and acceleration.

To brake on ice or snow without locking your wheels, get into a low gear earlier than normal, allow your speed to fall and use the brake pedal gently.

If you start to skid, ease off the accelerator but do not brake suddenly.

Watch out for fog

Watch out for fog - it drifts rapidly and is often patchy.

In foggy conditions, drive very slowly using dipped headlights.

Use fog-lights if visibility is seriously reduced, but remember to switch them off when visibility improves.

Don't hang on to the tail-lights of the vehicle in front. This gives you a false sense of security and means you may be driving too close.

Don't speed up suddenly, even if it seems to be clearing. You can suddenly find yourself back in thick fog.

Winter sun

Dazzle from winter sun can be dangerous. Keep a pair of sunglasses handy.

Rain

In wet weather, stopping distances will be at least double those required for stopping on dry roads. This is because your tyres have less grip on the road. In wet weather:

You should keep well back from the vehicle in front. This will increase your ability to see and plan ahead.

If steering becomes unresponsive, it probably means the water is preventing the tyres from gripping the road. Ease off the accelerator and slow down gradually.

The rain and spray from vehicles may make it difficult to see and be seen.

Flooded roads

Don't attempt to cross if the water seems too deep.

Drive slowly in first gear but keep the engine speed high by slipping the clutch - this will stop you from stalling.

Avoid the deepest water, usually near the kerb.

Remember - test your brakes when you are through the flood before you drive at normal speed.

Take care around winter maintenance vehicles

The Highways Agency, an executive agency of the Department for Transport, is responsible for the motorways and trunk roads in England. We aim to reduce delays and accidents during wintry weather conditions by pre-treating clearing motorways and trunk roads to prevent the formation of ice and snow, and by clearing snow from carriageways and hard shoulders as soon as conditions permit. Local Authorities are responsible for this work on the local road network.

Salting and snow ploughing

Take care when travelling behind winter service vehicles. Drivers of vehicles such as salt spreaders and snowploughs take all reasonable precautions to protect the safety of other road users.

Salting vehicles

Salting vehicles travel at speeds of up to 40 mph spreading salt across all lanes of the carriageway. Drivers are advised to maintain a safe distance behind them. Do not attempt to overtake.

Snow ploughing

Snow ploughing can throw up irregular amounts of snow that may be a hazard to vehicles. Drivers are advised to maintain a safe distance behind vehicles and not to attempt to overtake.

Roadworks on motorways and major roads

The Highways Agency will be working on a number of major maintenance schemes and improvements on motorways and trunk roads in England over the winter months and drivers are advised to plan their journeys accordingly.

If you have to drive through roadworks, please take extra care.

Keep to the speed limit - it is there for your safety.

Get into the correct lane in good time - don't keep switching.

Concentrate on the road ahead, not the roadworks.

Be alert for works traffic leaving or entering roadworks.

Keep a safe distance - there could be queues in front.

Observe all signs - they are there to help you.

I would just like to ask why do the road suddenly become gridlocked when there is a bit of snow ?

I drove from Hunters Bar to Crookes this evening and it took well over an hour. It was standing traffic all the way from Broomhill to where I turned off Northfield Road. It was crazy !!!

One of my jobs for many years was to dig cars vans & lorries out of deep snow in dangerous conditions & even repair them on the spot in freezing weather, so they could carry on their merry way & usually with not even a thank you or a "kiss my bling"...... my advice would be, don't drive at all in these conditions, it's not fair & it's not clever.

Thank goodness these days I can look thro' my window 1st thing in the morning, see the snow & go straight back to beddybize.

Mmmm..... Luxury.

thanks for that akita very useful info

very good advice I agree but if you have to read it before you go out tonight you really should not be driving tonight

Could I just add, if you're heading up hill in slightly snowy conditions, doing so at 5mph is actually harder than doing it at 10 or 15 mph, as you're more likely to accidentally stop and/or more likely to accidentally apply too much power and spin the wheels. (Sorry, had to follow someone earlier into crookes, hard work at tickover in 2nd gear with rear wheel drive).

edit - also, if you're in narrow streets, cars heading down hill should give way as starting off down hill is a lot easier than starting off heading up hill.

I really think the best advice is 'Unless you really have to, don't go'.

To all those who do have to take to the roads, have a safe journey.

You can increase the traction of the wheels by letting the tyres down on the driving wheels. Obviously pump them back up at the earliest opportunity.

Having someone sit on the front / rear wing over the driving wheels can also increase traction - make sure they're safe !

Ensure your windscreen washer ( front AND back ) is ok, and up to winter strength - remember if you have headlamp wash, you'll use much more fluid.

In dire emergencies, you can rub your tyres along the kerb to try and slow down.

ABS does not reduce your stopping distances in the snow - it can actually increase them.

Stability control can do nothing to help you if you have your feet hard on the brakes - it works by applying individual brakes, it cannot release them, so best to take your foot off the brakes if you need to rely on esp/stability control for something. This takes some guts but it does work !

ESP doesn't work when you're braking hard, only when the car is starting to spin and the wheels are turning.

But you're quite right. I turned off all the electronic gadgetry earlier. The bloody thing wouldn't actually let me move off up a hill as it kept cutting the power.

I would just like to ask why do the road suddenly become gridlocked when there is a bit of snow ?

Too many crap drivers with no idea how to drive in bad conditions.

I overtook loads on my way home tonight that were doing 20 mph on roads that would support 40 if you look what you are doing.

The overtakes were safe and no chance to loose control on a wide road with no bends and nothing coming the other way.

I've NEVER had an accident in snow but I never hold up the traffic flow. It's about knowing what is safe for what you are driving.

Just timid drivers who should go by bus.

Tip: Don't tailgate someone as they are going down a steep hill covered in snow in second gear:mad:

in the area where I live we don't get much snow but people here are prepared for it. We change over to winter tyres for the winter time. If people do not take this option I would recommend getting chains which fit over the tyres.