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Transcript of A pre-winter check or service is essential if you want to avoid problems during the winter Pay...
WINTER DRIVING• Preparing your vehicle• Emergency kit• Driving in adverse weather
Produced by Allen Elliott
Community Safety Resource Coordinator
PREPARING YOUR VEHICLE
A pre-winter check or service is essential if you want to avoid problems during the winter
Pay attention to: -
Cooling system
Anti-freeze at the correct concentration is vital all year round as it prevents both freezing and corrosionCheck hoses for wear, tear and leaks
Tyres
Check tyre pressure and tread depthYou want as much grip as possible when the snow comes
(at least 3mm of tread)
Legal limit is 1.6mm
Lights
Carry a spare set of light bulbs
Make sure your lights are clear and clean as often as possible in the winter
Check your lights before each journey
Brakes
It may seem obvious to state that brakes should be in good order, however your wheels will lock earlier on ice than in
other situations and so even the slightest problems can cause major skids in winter
Wiper blades
These will have to work harder in winter so make sure they are in good condition
Well used wiper blades rarely last more than 12 months in our climate
Windscreen washers
These are less likely to freeze up if the system is clean
Keep a supply of screen-wash additive in the car, this prevents the washer bottle contents from freezing
Windscreen washers
In extremely cold conditions you can use screen wash concentrate without adding water
This helps to avoid the fluid freezing in the washer nozzles and on the windscreen
Battery
Modern batteries provide more power, but take a long time to re-charge fully. A regular long run with the minimum of
electrical accessories switched on is needed.
De-mist
If the inside of the glass keeps misting up, use air conditioning on a warm setting to dry out the car. Make sure you don’t leave
damp coats and wellingtons in the car
Fuel
Keep plenty of fuel in the tank(At least half full)
As you never know when you will be stuck in traffic or have to make a detour to reach your destination
Easier starting
Depress the clutch when starting a cold engine as this disconnects the engine from the gearbox so there is less drag
and eases the load on the starter motor
Cleaned and lubricated
Wash the car frequentlyspray water dispersant in locks to reduce freezing, lubricate
bonnet lock to prevent corrosion
Apply thin layer of petroleum jelly to rubber door seals so they don’t freeze while closed
fit all wheel trims correctly to prevent corrosion on wheel nuts
YOUR
EMERGENCY
KIT
Emergency kit
Some suggested items for your emergency kit, gather and pack them into your car at the start of the winter season
You never know when you might need them
Emergency kit
Take a warm coat and hat Pack high energy foods such as chocolate, crisps, nuts, cereal
bars, water and a hot drink
Don’t forget to take any personnel medicines too
Emergency kit
• Fully charged mobile phone• Ice scraper and de-icer• Boots• First aid kit• Jump leads• Shovel• Fluorescent jacket or vest• Torch and spare batteries• Warm clothing and blanket• At least one bottle of water• Road atlas• Sunglasses (glare off snow, and low winter sun can be dazzling)
Driving in adverse weather
Starting off in snow
Clear any snow off the roof of the vehicle before you drive offIt can slip down over the windscreen and obscure your view
Clear any snow and ice from all windows, lights and number plates
Make sure you can see clearly and be seen
Snow can be deceptive. Often your tyres will have more grip on newly fallen snow than on slushy snow
Whatever kind your on you must remember that the car is more likely to go sideways than is normally the case
Gently test your brakes from time –to-timeThis will give you a feel for the surface conditions and available
grip
Even when the main roads are clear, the side roads can often be snow-covered because they won’t have been treated and
there is less traffic
Avoid revving your engine and spinning your wheels on the slippery surface
Anticipate the road ahead so that you keep moving steadily where you can, rather than having to stop and then start
again
When driving on remote roads with little traffic, you may find it helpful to drive in the middle of the road
You will have more room to manoeuvre and correct slides if forced to brake suddenly
When going over hills and dips, and around corners, you may meet traffic coming from opposite direction, so slow down
and keep to the left
When moving off in snow and ice use the highest gear possibleThis will usually be second.
If you encounter wheel-spin, ease off the accelerator
Once you are moving, keep your speed down and use highest practical gear.
Gentle use of all controls is essential
Use your judgement when assessing conditions
A white winter road with packed snow will often be less slippery than a wet road
Drive safely, but don’t be nervous
Driving through ice and snow
It’s not always obvious that the road is icyLook for clues such as ice on the pavement or on your
windscreen before you start your journey
If your tyres make virtually no noise on the road it could be a sign you’re driving on ice
Don’t brake harshly-you risk locking-up and skidding
Watch out for the ice
Watch out for locations where you may need to drive more carefully because of risk of ice such as:
• Changes in road elevation or exposure• Where the road passes over or under a bridge• Things at the side of the road that shade the carriageway such
as trees and bridges• When leaving a main road and turn onto a side or slip road• Bends in the road where there is a greater risk of loss of control
Watch out for roads with adverse camber, water can run across and freeze leaving a skating rink surface
Gentle movements of the steering wheel and low speeds will give you the most control under snowy and icy conditions
Hills
Ascending/descending hills can pose particular problems on slippery roads:
• Always leave plenty of space between yourself and the car ahead before starting your ascent/descent
• Stop and wait for a clear road if necessary, otherwise you may end up being stuck (literally) behind less skilful drivers
• Use low gears to help you hold back when descending slippery hills. Select the gear as early as possible
• Try to avoid using the brakes or changing gear while descending
Basic driving techniques
Winter is the most difficult driving season. Not only do you have snow and ice to deal with, but there are fewer hours of daylight
as well.
Drive slowly. Even if your vehicle has good traction in ice and snow, other drivers will be travelling cautiously.
Don’t disrupt the flow of traffic by driving faster than everyone
else
In a rear wheel drive vehicle, you can usually feel a loss of traction or the beginning of a skid. There may be no such
warning in a front wheel drive,However
Front wheel drives do handle better in ice and snow, but they do not have flawless traction, and skids can occur unexpectedly.
Don’t let the better feel and handling of a front wheel drive car cause you to drive faster than you should
Skidding
Despite a popular misconception, the best approach to recovering from a skid is the same for both front and rear
wheel drive vehicles
Rear wheel skid
• Take your foot off the accelerator• Steer in the direction you want the front wheels to go• If you rear wheels are sliding left, steer left. If they’re sliding
right, steer right• If your rear wheels start sliding the other way as you recover,
ease the steering wheel toward that side. • You might have to steer left and right a few times to get your
vehicle completely under control.
If you have standard brakes, pump them gently
If you have anti-lock brakes (ABS), do not pump the brakes. Apply steady pressure to the brakes. You will feel the brakes
pulse – this is normal.
If not, pump the pedal gently, pumping more rapidly as your car slows down. Braking hard with non-anti-lock brakes will make
the skid worse
Front wheel skid
Take your foot off the accelerator and push in the clutch, don’t try to steer immediately
As the wheel skids sideways, they will slow the vehicle and the traction will return.
As it does, steer in the direction you want to go
To avoid skids, brake carefully and gently on snow or ice
“Squeeze” your brakes in slow, steady strokes
Allow the wheels to keep rolling
If they start to lock up, ease off the brake pedal
As you slow down, you may also want to shift into a lower gear
Getting unstuck
If you should find yourself stuck, here’s what to do:
• Turn your wheels from side to side a few times to push snow out of the way
• Keep a light touch on the accelerator and ease forward• Don’t spin your wheels – you’ll just dig in deeper• Rocking the vehicle is another way. Shift from forward to
reverse, and back again. Each time your in gear, give a light touch on the accelerator until the vehicle gets going
• Use a shovel to clear snow away from wheels and underside of car
Driving in fog
• Use dipped headlights so that other drivers can see you• If it’s really foggy, (less than 100m visibility) and you can’t see
much, then switch your fog lights on• Fog is often patchy so try not to speed up as visibility
improves. You could suddenly find yourself back in thick fog• Remember to switch off fog lights when visibility improves to
prevent dazzling oncoming vehicles
Driving in the rain
When the roads wet, it can take up to twice a long to stop. So it makes sense to slow down and maintain a safe distance from
the vehicle in front
If your vehicle loses its grip, or “aquaplanes” on surface water take your foot off the accelerator to slow down
Driving in windy weather
Take extra care on the roads and plan your journey by checking the latest weather conditions
High sided vehicles are particularly affected by windy weather but strong gusts can also blow a vehicle, cyclist, motorcyclist,
or horse rider off course
This can happen on open stretches of road exposed to strong crosswinds, or when passing bridges, high sided vehicles or
gaps in trees
If you breakdown on the motorway
Pull onto the hard shoulder, park as far over to the left as you can, away from the traffic, and turn your hazard warning lights on
Get yourself and any passengers out of the vehicle immediately, using the doors on the left hand side, furthest from the traffic
while you wait for help, keep well away from the carriageway and hard shoulder – stand over the barrier if it’s safe to do so – and
do not try even the simplest of repairs
If you breakdown on the motorway
Try to use the emergency roadside telephones rather than a mobile phone
This will help traffic officers and other emergency services know exactly where you are
BE SAFE
DRIVE SAFE
THE END