Drivers urged to follow specific winter tips to ensure safety

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Drivers have been urged to follow specific winter tips to ensure road safety in the next few months. With weather getting progressively worse, experts at Bill Plant Driving School have shared five tips all motorists should be aware of this winter.

Think about the stopping distance

When a road surface becomes slippy, it makes a vehicle unable to break as quickly as what it would be able to on a dry surface.

For this reason, drivers should leave a gap between their vehicle and the car in front up to 10 times the normal recommended braking distance.

Motorists should also ensure to give themselves at least 10 seconds to come to a complete stop.

Learn how to correct a skid on ice

If a vehicle skids on ice, the person behind the wheel can often panic, which is why it’s important to understand what to do in this situation.

Drivers should remove their foot from the accelerator as the more power they apply, the more likely their vehicle will continue to skid.

Drivers should steer the wheel in the direction of the skidding vehicle, so, if the vehicle is sliding to the left, drivers should steer to the left.

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This will help bring the vehicle into a straight line and out of the skid.

Drive in higher gear in snow and ice

When driving in snow, motorists should drive in as high a gear as possible, even if they’re driving at a slower speed.

Tyres grip less efficiently in wet and cold conditions, so by driving in a higher gear, motorists will keep their vehicle’s revs low and prevent their wheels from spinning out.

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Drive for the conditions, not the speed limit

Speed limits are the maximum in ideal driving conditions, meaning it’s not always safe to drive at this speed in bad weather.

On icy and wet surfaces, tyre grip is greatly reduced making braking distances much longer.

Because of this, drivers should adjust their speed based on the surrounding conditions and not try to match the speed limit.

Use the fog lights when necessary.

Fog lights are installed to make a vehicle more visible in poor visibility conditions such as fog, heavy rain or snow.

If visibility is less than 100m, drivers should put their fog lights on.

Drivers should remember to switch their fog lights off when visibility improves as this could land them with a £50 fine.

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