Tips for Driving in Winter
Winter brings with it a variety of difficult driving conditions, including snow, ice, and torrential rain. It is critical to have a safe vehicle, plan your travel, and drive cautiously for the conditions. Here are some of our top winter driving recommendations to keep you safe on the road.
Get your car ready
Having your car serviced is the single best thing you can do for your car in or before winter hits. Winter time can exacerbate even the smallest faults which can then result in major safety concerns. You have three types of car service you can choose from; a basic interim service, a full service or a major service. Having a service done on your car will get any problems fixed before they turn into serious safety issues.
Some things you can check yourself range from your lights, brakes, tyres, windscreen wipers, engine oil, screenwash, coolant and car battery.
Related: How to keep my car clean in winter
Fit the right tyres
Tyres are an essential part of your car, and certain tyres provide much better traction and grip in wet weather or snow. Winter tyres are a great option for your car when it gets to the colder months, as they’ve been specifically designed to cope with the temperature drop. They are made from a special soft rubber compound that features deeper grooves, which makes them a lot better at handling adverse and testing weather conditions such as snow and rain.
If you don’t have the money to invest in winter tyres, you should at the least make sure your tread depth meets the legal requirement. 3mm is the legal minimum tyre tread allowed in the winter months, compared to 1.6mm in all the other seasons. Lastly, it’s also important to consider the tyre pressure for your car is correct too.
Travel with essentials
Cars break down and get problems, no matter how new or old they are. Winter can increase the likelihood of something going wrong with your car, so you want to be prepared for it if it does.
Think about packing the following in your car:
- A warm blanket
- A torch
- Wellies
- De-icer
- Ice scraper
- Warning Triangle
- High-vis vest
- An emergency breakdown kit
Plan your journey
Driving anywhere in winter will take extra time because of the conditions, and more heavy traffic. Before you set off, you need to ensure you can see clearly through all your windows. Turn on your demister and use some de-icer on the windscreen if frost and ice have built up overnight.
You also want to leave a bit of extra time for your journey, just in case you come across any hazards on the way, such as collisions between other drivers.
Drive carefully and take your time
Keep your speed down and increase your stopping distance when driving in wintry conditions. If it’s icy, you want to keep 10 times the gap you normally would between yourself and the car in front, and if it’s wet 2 times the distance.
Also, rather than using your brakes, simply take your foot off the accelerator and let the car slow first, then gently brake. This will avoid your tyres potentially slipping and you skidding out of control. If you do find you end up skidding, steer into the skid gently and then regain control.
If you’re worried about potentially breaking down this winter and you don’t have any cover in place, we offer different levels of RAC maintenance and breakdown as an RAC warranty approved dealer. Don’t leave it up to chance this winter, be prepared and choose RAC warranty.