Winter Driving: In Wintry weather conditions Ask yourself- is this journey really necessary? Do not start the journey if roads are icy or snow is falling. If you decide to travel – clean all your vehicle windows and mirrors of frost and condensation before you depart. Check the local and national weather forecasts. Keep your radio on for travel information. Let someone reliable know at your destination what time you expect to arrive. Carry extra clothes, food, boots or wellies and a torch that is working. It is good to carry spare batteries for your torch. If you think that you will encounter snow, carry a shovel or spade. Drive with your lights on, and make sure they are all working correctly before starting out on your journey. Make sure your tyres are at least the correct tread depth, and that they are inflated to the correct pressure for your vehicle. Remember that heavy rain, fog, falling snow, and hail can reduce your visibility, so use your dipped head lights and reduce speed. Use your fog lights in dense fog. If you get into difficulty Do not use your mobile phone while still moving, pull in to a safe place or ask your passenger to use the phone. If you get stuck, try to stay with your vehicle. Abandoned vehicles can hold up rescue vehicles. If you have to leave your vehicle, Make sure other road users can see you. Carry a Hi Vis vest or Jacket and put it on before leaving your vehicle. Icy roads, or Slushy roads. It will take you up to ten times longer to stop in icy conditions than when driving on a dry road. Drive slower, and allow the extra time to slow down gently. Avoid harsh braking and acceleration. Use the highest gear possible to avoid causing the wheels to spin. Do not brake if you start to skid, just ease off the accelerator. If you are braking, and your ABS kicks in , keep your foot on the brake and let it do its job. Have a good attitude to other road users. Don’t attempt to overtake, even if the other driver is going slow, you may lose control and not be able to get safely back to your own side. Watch out for pedestrians, they may slip or stumble into your path. If you drive a 4+4 remember that you may be able to keep moving when other vehicles are getting stuck, but you cannot stop any better than a car. Duignan school of motoring. duignan.ie
Posted on: Mon, 22 Dec 2014 22:57:53 +0000
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