Driving in the winter is not an easy thing to do. Drivers often face adverse road and weather conditions. Once the clocks go back at the end of October, driving can suddenly become hazardous. The winter brings with it long periods of darkness, flood, snow, fog, and other bad driving conditions.

In such driving conditions, we, at Bonnar Accident Law, advise you to not get on the road at all unless necessary.

In this guide, the road accident lawyers from Bonnar Accident Law have chalked out tips for driving in winter conditions such as snow, ice, rain, floods, fog, strong winds, and low sunshine.

Read the guide further so you can plan your road travels better and make your journeys safer.

Get Your Vehicle Prepared for Winter Driving

When autumn approaches, it’s always a good time to prepare your vehicle for the winter. Don’t wait until the last moment; as with everything, during peak season, everything you need for safe winter driving will be in demand and, in turn, expensive.

First off, get your vehicle’s anti-freeze tested. You should have your vehicle serviced completely. If that isn’t an option financially, you can at the least do the following checks:

• All lights are clean, working, and bright enough to be visible under a thin layer of rain, snow, etc.
• The battery of your car is fully charged and will not die out on you if you get snowed in, or get caught in a storm
• The windscreen, all windows, mirrors, and wiper blades are clean and working, and the washer bottle is filled with screen wash
• The tyres are in perfect working condition for winter, the tread depth is ideal, and the tyre pressure is perfect. Always do these checks on the spare tyre as well
• Ensure that brakes are functioning properly before you get on the road
• All the fluids in your car such as windscreen wash, anti-freeze, and oil are filled up to the right amount and correct concentration to avoid freezing

Apart from these safety checks, any road accident lawyer in the UK will tell you also to keep de-icer, anti-freeze, extra wiper blade fuses, and windscreen wash with you before winter starts.

Always Keep an Emergency Kit When Driving in Winter

As you head into winter, be prepared for any unforeseen consequences. You may get caught in a snowstorm, your car may break down during a long journey, you may be stranded on the motorway, etc. Keeping these worst-case scenarios in mind, experienced road accident lawyers will advise you to keep an emergency kit in your car, especially if you are heading on a long journey.

We understand that these may seem like excessive safety measures, but you never know when luck may not be on your side. Imagine yourself stranded in a snowstorm, a flood, a fog, etc., and you will be thankful you kept an emergency kit in your car.

A good emergency kit for the winter will include items that help you stay warm, keep you hydrated and energised to maintain body heat and let rescuers and road assistance crew find you easily.

Here are a few items you can keep in your winter emergency kit:

• Wellington boots
• A shovel
• Tow rope
• A glass-breaking tool, in case you get trapped cause of an accident
• De-icing equipment
• A hazard warning triangle, with blinking lights
• A basic first-aid kit
• A torch with fresh or rechargeable batteries
• A car blanket
• A set of warm clothes, one or two spare in case you have passengers or help out others on the road
• Emergency rations, keep a flask for non-alcoholic hot beverages, energy bars, granola bars, biscuits, or whatever can help you stay energised
• A battery bank for your smartphone should be at least double or triple the mAH of your smartphone’s battery, and charge it at home before you get on the road
• A portable charger to charge your devices while you are moving on the road
• A spare set of clothes to change into in case you get drenched or soaked

Keep these and you will be well-prepared for every kind of road emergency out there.

Prepare According to Your Unique Journey

Before planning a long journey or even a short sprint to a nearby village or town in the winter, always check the local news, travel bulletins, and national weather broadcasts. Check your area, the route you will be taking, and the destination you are going to. Check regularly and make a decision based on the data you see. Remember, nature is very unpredictable, the weather conditions can become adverse or even fatal within a matter of minutes.

If your local weather broadcasts or emergency services have issued a warning to not travel due to the weather conditions, then the best course would be to postpone your travel. But since individual journeys and your circumstances are yours to understand, go ahead if you must, but be careful and pay attention to how to navigate the weather conditions in winter as we have mentioned ahead.

What to Do If You Must Travel

Here are a few tips you can keep in mind if you have to travel at all costs despite the weather conditions. We, at Bonnar Accident Law, formulated these tips after a wide range of road accident claims we have handled over the years. Here goes:

• Always let someone know the exact time you will be leaving, the expected time you will be reaching your destination, and which route you will take. In case there is no contact with you or you don’t reach your destination, your contact can inform the authorities. Decide with your contact frequent checkpoints and timestamps when you update them on how far you have covered your route. Keeping someone informed at regular intervals is a great practice in case things go south
• Always explore all routes you can take towards your destination. Plan on pitstops where you may have to wait out the weather. Always plan multiple routes to your destination in case you have to reroute midway due to the weather
• Fill up your fuel tank completely before heading out to ensure you don’t have to worry about running out of it. Similarly, make sure all the windows and mirrors are cleaned and cleared of any snow or ice. Make sure your heater is working properly and the car is made warm enough to keep your windscreen clear throughout. Visibility will naturally be low during adverse weather and you don’t want to be struggling with a foggy or dirty windscreen
• Keep your mobile phone charged fully before heading out. You don’t want to run out of charge when you may need it. If you can, avoid draining your battery by putting songs on it via Bluetooth unless you are using Android Auto or Apple Car Play
• Keep an emergency kit in your vehicle. At the least, always keep an extra pair of boots, warm clothes, a torch, energy bars with long shelf life, and maybe a thermos with a warm beverage inside

Hope these small details will help you in the most critical of times.

Tips for Driving in Snow or Ice

Remember, if you are driving on icy, snowy, or snow-covered roads, you have to be able to manoeuvre your vehicle expertly. One small mistake can turn deadly.

Here are a few tips from Bonnar Accident Law on how to drive in snow or ice:

• Maintain a manageable speed and never go over the speed limit at any cost. Snow and ice make the roads slippery, and that will make your stopping distance much farther than it usually is on dry sunny roads
• Travel at a speed that gives you enough margin to stop your vehicle successfully. In ideal conditions, the speed limit is the maximum you can push, but that becomes too fast when conditions are worse, so reduce your speed accordingly
• Don’t reduce your speed suddenly, don’t steer sharply, and don’t accelerate instantly. All of these scenarios may result in not being able to handle the vehicle you are driving
• Brake slowly to reduce your speed smoothly and give your vehicle time to stop in slippery conditions
• Slow down way ahead of corners and bends as not giving your vehicle enough time to stop may swerve you uncontrollably
• Icy and snow-covered curves are extremely dangerous when braking your vehicle. If you brake suddenly or don’t give enough time to stop, the centrifugal force will spin your vehicle making it lose the already compromised grip
• To brake successfully in snowy conditions, let go of acceleration early so your vehicle drops speed and goes into a lower gear. If brakes are needed, be gentle and press the clutch early so your vehicle’s engine doesn’t stall
• The ideal gap between you and the next vehicle should be up to ten times the normal distance for braking
• Even though the vehicle heater is necessary for keeping you warm and the windscreens clear, make sure that your vehicle is well-ventilated. If the inside gets too warm, it can make you drowsy and take away the critical attention you need on the road
• If you are driving in too much snow, make regular stops at safe places to clean your wheels, lights, number plates, windows, mirrors, etc.
• It is crucial to stay visible in snowy conditions, so keep your headlights dipped
• Be aware of the road when driving as the road will never be uniformly wet, covered in snow, frost, ice or snow. There will be patches here and there as you drive, so one side of your vehicle may skid or slip rather than the entire vehicle. Be extra careful before, under and after bridges and flyovers

Hope these tips help you navigate the snowy and icy road conditions.

What to Do If You Get Stuck in Snow

It is very common that when vehicles get stuck in the snow, drivers try to rev up their engines to get out of the rut. This barely ever works. Instead, get your vehicle in the highest gear, and rock your vehicle back and forth till you get out of the rut. In case this doesn’t work, you can always signal for help, and ask passers-by or other road users to stop and help your vehicle out of the rut. Alternatively, you can use the shovel you brought to clear out the rut and try to get your vehicle out of it.

What to Do If You Get Caught in a Snow Drift

It is advised never to leave your vehicle. The first thing you should do is call the emergency services or breakdown services, whichever is available, and let them come and help you out. Another common mistake is when drivers keep the engine running to stay warm. Don’t do that, instead, layer up and wait for help.

When Driving in Winter Rain

If you are driving in the winter rain, Bonnar Accident Law advises you to follow the same tips we mentioned above. Since rain causes a visibility issue for most drivers, keep your wipers at the recommended speed to look ahead. Your normal braking distance will increase two to threefold your usual braking distance. Keep the windscreen wipers on, and use the washer in case the windscreen starts getting murky. Keep your headlights dipped and navigate your car accordingly. Drive slow with a safe distance so you can see the dangers up ahead and manoeuvre your vehicle likewise.

Beware of Aquaplaning

Whenever you drive too fast into a surface of water, the tyre treads of your vehicle lose the necessary grip to propel you forward. The water becomes the wedge between the tyres and your vehicle will start floating. To avoid aquaplaning, ensure that you drive slowly in the rain, have deep tyre treads, and have the right air pressure inside your tyres. In case you do face aquaplaning, ease off the brakes and the accelerator. Let the vehicle speed drop and let the tyre regain contact with the road once more. Once that happens, navigate your vehicle safely through the thin sheet of water.

How to Navigate Flooded Roads

Here are a few tips on how to navigate through flooded roads:

• Near the kerb, the water will be the deepest, so avoid driving your vehicle through that
• Water can be very tricky from the surface as you won’t be able to gauge the depth. If it looks too deep or you can’t assess how deep it is, don’t drive blindly into it hoping to make it to the other side
• If the water body is too large to cross and you can’t see the other side where the road begins again, or you can’t assess how deep the water is, find an alternative route. There is no need to take your vehicle into a pool where it may get stuck and stop completely
• If you think the water is navigable, be cautious, drive slowly and use the first gear to drive through. To avoid slipping the clutch or stalling your engine, keep the speed high
• Approaching vehicles can cause a bow wave that will endanger both you and the approaching vehicle. Use a courteous ‘give way’ with the oncoming vehicles. Go before them or let them cross first

Always remember, once you are out of the flooded road or the pool of icy water, recheck your brakes. Sometimes being too long in the water can compromise the integrity and strength of the brakes. Don’t immediately hit the accelerator thinking to get away from it.

Tips for Driving in Winter Fog

Remember, out of all the bad weather conditions to drive in, fog is the worst. The low to almost zero visibility can quickly lead to a fatal mistake. Since most vehicles drive closely in foggy conditions, one wrong step by one driver can quickly affect all the other vehicles.

You should avoid driving in fog unless you must take that journey.

Here are a few tips for driving in foggy conditions:

• Get updates from local weather and road authorities, and follow the guidelines given by the national or local media
• Expect that your journey will easily take twice the time
• Check your car condition including tyres, lights, mirrors, wipers, heater, demister, etc.
• Keep the speed as low as possible since you need to keep the right amount of distance and visibility between you and other road users
• If the visibility reduces, turn on your headlights or even the fog lights if necessary, but keep them low
• If you can see the car in front of you, keep your lights low to not dazzle them, and similarly don’t use rear fog lights if you can see the rear vehicle in your rearview mirror
• Use the windscreen wipers, heater, and demister as required
• DO NOT rely on the rear lights of the vehicle in front of you as you will be too close to them. You have to keep in mind that the distance should be enough for safe braking. Additionally, keep your spatial awareness on the road as you wouldn’t want to bandwagon into a ditch by blindly following the vehicle in front of you
• Do not listen to music or distracting noises. Slightly roll down your window so you can hear other traffic on the road, especially if you know or your GPS alerts you to a junction or a crossroads
• If you suddenly see the fog clear up, don’t speed up immediately, go slightly faster than you were before. Fog drapes down in patches often, so you may suddenly get into another dense patch where a higher speed may lead to an accident
• If your vehicle breaks down or you want to wait out a small patch of fog, always park your vehicle off the road. Never stop abruptly or anywhere on the road. Immediately turn on your hazard lights and keep them on even if you turn off your engine. You should be highly visible to anyone who is within a braking distance from you

The road accident lawyers at Bonnar Accident Law have dealt with numerous cases that happened due to fog. Be careful out there.

Tips for Driving in Strong Winter Winds

Here are a few tips for driving in strong winter winds:

• Always hold on tight, and stay in the middle of the road or lane. Don’t drive on the edges, especially the further edge of the windward direction
• If there is a bridge you have to cross on strong winds, go slow. If the bridge is too long and you can see it swinging and rocking, don’t go on the bridge. Stop before the entrance, park your vehicle on the side and encourage others to stop too
  If your vehicle is a high-sided vehicle such as a tall truck, don’t go out during warned strong winds

Tips for Driving in Low Sunshine Winter Months

Here are a few driving tips for low sunshine conditions during the winter in the UK:

• During the winter months, the sun is usually too low in the sky for a visor to be effective. Don’t get blinded by the glare. Use sunglasses that are anti-glare but not too dim for you to see clearly
• Keep your speed reduced and manageable since you want to be able to handle your vehicle in any road condition
• You can clean your windscreen and windows from the inside and outside and keep them grease-free to avoid glares
• If you are wearing sunglasses during the day to avoid the glare of the low sun, immediately take them off in low light conditions, especially during the nighttime. You do not want your visibility compromised by the dark tints

Hire Bonnar Accident Law for Winter Road Accidents

We hope that by following the above mentioned tips you can avoid any unwanted or unfavourable results on the road during the winter.

Should you be unfortunate to face a road accident during the winter, you can call the road accident lawyers at Bonnar Accident Law. We will help you assess your case, take care of the paperwork, and eventually get you the claim you deserve; all at no-win-no-fee!