Here’s how to stay safe when driving in cold weather

Large areas of the UK look set to be hit by cold weather over the next few days as Arctic air blasts parts of the country.

The Met Office has already issued a yellow warning for snow and rain in parts of England and Wales, running through Wednesday and into Thursday. But how can you stay safe when driving in snow and cold conditions, and how can you prepare? Let’s take a look.

If in doubt, leave it out

If the conditions look bad outside, then the safest thing you can do is stay at home. One of the easiest ways to avoid a potential accident is to postpone your trip if it isn’t a necessity.

It’s not worth pushing beyond your own comfort levels when driving in poor conditions. In doing so, you may be increasing the chance of an incident. So if you’re not happy, then stay put.

Take your time

However, if you do need to drive when it’s bad outside, you should slow things down. Reduce your speed and give yourself more time to react to road conditions, while increasing the distance between yourself and the car in front.

In doing so, you’ll give yourself a lot more time to respond if something should happen ahead. Ice patches aren’t always visible, too, so while the road ahead might look clear, there could be slippery conditions underneath. Lower your speed to give yourself a better chance of dealing with a slide or skid.

Plan ahead

Planning ahead can make a big difference when the weather is bad outside. For instance, stick to major roads or motorways – these are the most likely to be fully gritted when the temperatures dip – as minor roads are harder for gritter services to access. Small lanes and routes are also more prone to flooding.

It could be worth checking for traffic or slowdowns on your route before you set off. If there has been a crash ahead, then it could quickly add a lot of time to your journey, so check a mapping service like Google Maps or Waze before you start to help avoid this.

Pack warm clothing

You can’t tell the future when it comes to driving, so packing for an unplanned breakdown can pay dividends later on. While there’s no need to go mad and pack everything, we’d recommend bringing some extra clothing, a blanket and perhaps some snacks to keep you going should you need to stop for a long period.

A fully charged power bank would also be a great addition to this pack, as it’ll ensure that you’re always able to keep your mobile topped up. Don’t rely on your car’s battery to keep your phone charged – if you’re stopped and the engine isn’t running, then doing this could quickly leave your car flat.

Prepare for a stop

Driving in poor conditions takes extra concentration and this can be quite wearing, particularly if you’re travelling over a long distance. It’s for this reason that we’d recommend factoring in a stop to have a break, have a snack and a drink before commencing the rest of your journey.

Driving when tired is dangerous – even during good conditions – and being fatigued when you’re behind the wheel in cold weather could increase the chance of a collision or other incident.