WINTER MOTORING

Looking after your car in the cold weather

•  Keep antifreeze and screenwash topped up
• Check the condition of your battery regularly
• Ensure your tyres are correctly inflated and replace them before the tread reaches the legal minimum of 1.6mm – better tread will result in better grip
• Replace any broken light bulbs immediately
• Don’t put boiling water straight onto an iced up windscreen, the drastic change in temperature may cause the windscreen to crack

Driving in bad weather
Before your journey
• Clear any snow from your windscreen and roof before you set off. Snow can slip down onto the windscreen and obscure your view
• Make sure your lights are clean before you set off
• Always keep at least a quarter of a tank of fuel in case of unexpected delays
• Plan your journey in advance and try to stick to the main roads wherever possible
• Check the latest weather conditions


During your journey
• Avoid sudden steering and braking
• Watch out for changes in road elevation, where things at the side of the road shade the carriageway and side roads that may not have been treated
• It’s not always obvious that the road is icy, look out for warning signs such as ice on the pavement or if your tyres are making virtually no noise on the road it could be a sign that you are driving on ice
• If setting off in snow don’t rev the engine too much, try starting off gently in second gear
• When driving in fog use dipped headlights and only switch on your foglights when you really need to

Driver’s Survival Kit
Always make sure you travel with the following items:
• A fully charged mobile phone and in-car charger
• A blanket and/or warm clothes
• A shovel
• A pot of salt or sand
• An ice scraper and de-icer
• A torch and spare batteries
 • Some bottled water and food

If you have an accident:
In case of an accident you should get as much
information as you can as soon as possible:
• Ask the drivers involved for their name and contact details including address
• Request the name of their insurers and if possible a policy or certificate number
• Make a note of the vehicle registration numbers along with the make, model and colour of any vehicles involved
• Make a note of any injuries or damage to other property
• Ask for the names and addresses of any witnesses before they  leave the scene

 

Richard Anthony Oakes, Sharon Linda Oakes & Ashley Burton trading as Oakes Insurance Consultants are
authorised and regulated by the Financial Services Authority. Number 307170

Registered office: Oakes House, Derby Road, Long Eaton, Nottingham NG10 1PD