Winter travel advice for drivers
Always take care when driving in icy conditions and never assume that the road is clear of ice.
Before setting out
- Ask yourself if your journey is absolutely necessary
- Check the local and national weather forecasts
- Listen to local and national radio for travel information
- Tell someone what time you expect to arrive
- Take extra warm clothes, food, boots and a torch if you are travelling outside of the city and, in snowy conditions, a spade
- Clear your windows and mirrors and carry a screen scraper and de-icer
Driving tips
- Move more slowly, steer smoothly and brake gently
- Use gears to slow down to minimise the risk of skidding
- If you do find yourself in a skid, focus on where you want to go not where the car is going
- Plan a route that keeps to treated roads and trunk roads where possible
- Keep sunglasses handy to avoid glare from low winter sun
- Keep windscreen clean
- Wear driving gloves, not winter gloves (which reduce control of the steering wheel)
- Check your tyres - tyre condition makes all the difference