Winter Driving
No one wants to be that very cold person waiting on the side of the road for the breakdown recovery vehicle. I sure don’t, so here’s my top tips for preparing you and your car for winter.
Winter Driving Checks
Do a check of the following on your car –
Tyre tread depth – you should get a 20p coin and put this in the main tread groove. If the outer band of the coin is visible on any of three areas on the tyre, then you should look into getting new tyres fitted.
Exterior lights – are all the bulbs working and are the casings of the lights clean and visible?
Windscreen wipers – are these in good condition? If they have any deterioration on the rubber, they may need replacing.
Oil, washer fluid and coolant levels – check these on level ground, after the car has been standing for a while and is cold. If necessary, top up. You can buy screen wash for different temperatures, so check this before purchasing.
Winter Driving Essentials Checklist
If it’s frosty or snowy, you’ll want to have the winter essentials to hand in your car –
Ice scraper – the ones with the ‘mitten’ handles are perfect for keeping your hands toasty on cold days.
De-icer
Shovel – you can buy folding ones if you are tight on boot space
Torch – check and replace batteries regularly
Blankets
First aid kit
Jump cables
Change of warm clothes
Reflective warning triangle
Drinks and snacks
Phone charger
Winter Driving Tips
So if it does snow, here’s some useful tips to help you get from A to B safely –
Check out the route online first, to check that roads are open and passable.
Leave extra time to warm the car up, defrost the windows and remove excess snow from the bonnet and roof.
If you are having trouble pulling away, pull off in second gear, as this will help minimise wheel spin.
When driving, use low revs, accelerate gently and change up to higher gears as quickly as possible.
If you start skidding in the snow, steer into the skid. Don’t press the brakes.
Leave extra room between you and the next car on the road. Be mindful when coming down roads with a descent.
Leave yourself plenty of time to get to your destination. Drive smoothly and gently.
I hope these tips have been useful – good luck if you are driving in snowy or icy conditions this winter. Stay sensible and stay safe!
This is a collaborative post with LV=’s Car Insurance.
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This is a great reminder, thank you. I drive a lot of miles and have an emergency kit in my car but I need to check my tyres more often and had not heard of the 20p trick before so will be using that! Thank you 🙂 and thank you for joining us at #BloggerClubUK hope to see you again next week x
I’m glad the article was useful. Yes the 20p trick is a good one. Well done for being organised and having an emergency kit in the car. That’s a lot better than most people.
I have an emergency breakdown kit in my car but I have no idea what is actually in it. I should probably know. Thanks for linking to #PickNMix
At least you have it, that’s probably more than most people!
All good tips and I have a over protective partner so all car checks are always in place on the lead up to winter! General rule of thumb for me nowadays is if it’s snowing I don’t go driving!
You’re lucky Karen. Someone to check over the car for you. That’s what we all want. It’s hard to remember these things. No sometimes it’s just nice to stay indoors in the snow.
Excellent tips. I usually try not to drive if it’s snowing. The best snow days are when it doesn’t stick to the roads. It’s pretty and so quiet. 🙂
It is so pretty out, especially if you get out before anyone else’s footprints have spoilt it. I love the roofs of houses when they have snow sitting on them and chimneys poking out. Such a pretty sight.
Driving in the winter can be so scary -especially when it’s icy out! I live in Virginia, some winters it snows and some it doesn’t! We never know what to expect. We had one HUGE storm in February though! Thanks for these tips!
It is quite scary isn’t it Erin. I’m a big fan of playing in the snow, but a bit apprehensive driving. But if it’s not too heavy, it can be fine. Oh wow. I bet that big snow storm had you guys holed up for a while?
Hi! I am in the North West of England and we get very little snow here, the tiny amount that we do is gone within a day at the most! It is very cold here at the minute but what is cold for us is probably not THAT cold compared to what you get over there! Thanks for hosting! #lifelovinglinkie
Hi Laura. I bet it’s colder up your way than it is for us down in Kent. It seems tropical down here after I travel up north. I know what you mean. I don’t think the UK is that geared up for the snow, compared with some countries, but then we tend to only get a few days/weeks of it at most. But the cold and the ice, that’s another matter, that seems to go on forever!
I’m in Australia too Sally and I’ve never seen snow! (Well I’ve never seen it in real life) We have snowfields in the South East mountain area but nothing at all in Western Australia or Queensland (where Sue’s from) it’s always hot or in winter it’s cold and rainy. I am in awe of people who drive in those snowy conditions I see pictures of! Thanks for hosting the linky xx
That actually sounds really nice Leanne. I wish it was a bit warmer here some of the time, it’s nice when it’s a cold but really bright day but quite often it’s cold, grey and drizzly and it gets so depressing when it’s like that for weeks on end. I like to go out for walks and I hate going when it’s any sort of raining. Our summers can be quite nice, but tend to be short lived. We haven’t had anything more than a dusting of snow this year. Not like 5 and 6 years ago when we had it on and off for a couple of months. That was fun. There’s a really nice sense of community when it snows.
Hi Sally, we don’t get snow where I love in Queensland, Australia. It always looks pretty but I’m sure it can be dangerous when driving as I’ve seen on news bulletins with multi car accidents. Thanks for sharing this information which I’m sure those living in these types of conditions would find very useful. Thanks also for the Life Loving Linkie and see you next week.!
I must admit I don’t know much about the climate in Australia. Do you get snow anywhere in Australia at all? We’ve actually had a flurry this morning, enough just to dust my car, but as soon as the sun came out, it all melted away. I wouldn’t mind a big hit, just for a day or two. It’s so pretty and so much fun.