As summer once again draws to an end, we’ll be soon thinking about changing those tyres to the winter treads. These are the tyres we’d put on for rain and snow. In the old days, we’d use the same tyres in all seasons and it made no difference at all. Our philosophy would be, drive with caution if it’s raining or snowing. Basically, means, drive slow, making sure your windscreen wipers are up to spec and having plenty of antifreeze topped up.
Modern Cars, Modern Way Of Driving
Now that most modern cars use active suspension, electronic stability control, anti-lock brakes, four-wheel drive and traction control. We tend to rely too much on technology to take care of us and not our driving skills or just using common sense. How many times have you been driving in the rain in the fast lane on the motorway, feeling that you are absolutely safe if you have to brake hard or avoid an object in the road?
Tips Of Driving In Snow
The basic rule for driving in snowy conditions is to not make any abrupt turns or stops when driving. Doing so will often cause your vehicle to lose control and skid.
Driving too quickly is often the cause of collisions in the snow. The obvious tip is to drive slowly and carefully on snow and ice-covered roads and motorways.
If you feel your car front wheels begin to slide, immediately take your foot off the accelerator and let the car slow down by itself without having to apply the brakes, as this will cause the car to slide even more. Once doing so, after a few seconds, if you’re still not in control of your car, then lightly press your brake pedal to try to slow momentum. The bottom line and golden rule are, always drive slow in snowy or rainy conditions.
Before You Set-Off
One thing which is very common to see on British roads is snow-covered cars with limited visibility because the drivers haven’t fully cleared the snow away from the windscreen, side windows or rear window. Please be aware that if your car is not sufficiently cleared of snow, you could be breaking the Road Traffic law and incur a fine or points on your licence.
Another important point is, never to pour boiling hot water on your car to clear the snow. The best practice is to purchase a de-icer and ice scraper. These should be stored in your boot, along with your snow survival kit. This normally comprises a blanket, torch, tow rope and high visibility jacket/s.
At Southampton based Best Price Car Sales, we will contribute *£50 towards your winter car kit for your new used car. All you need to do is copy and paste the URL for this blog and your advisor will give you £50 towards your newly purchased user pack.
For more information about offers on our used cars and used vans, please contact one of our friendly advisors today on 02382 544 1862
*This offer cannot be used alongside any other cashback deal if promoted at the time.