Over the years, I’ve often been asked whether there are more fatal and serious road collisions now that the weather has turned bad at this time of the year. People are often surprised to learn that although the total number of collisions increases as drivers slither off the road into ditches (and each other), the number of fatalities and serious injuries actually goes down in the worst of the weather. This is because, I imagine, even the daftest of drivers is likely to be travelling slower when he/she has a collision and is therefore less likely to incur, or cause, serious injury.
Clearly, there are still a few tragic exceptions but on the whole this welcome trend is an indicator that if drivers could only show a bit more sense in their driving all year round then a general reduction in collisions must be achievable. The trouble is that in the height of summer when it’s warm and the road is dry and a cold drink awaits at the end of the drive it is all too easy to go a bit quicker and begin to feel invincible.
At the time of writing the worst of the winter weather has passed for the time being but, I suspect, there’s a good chance we’ll enjoy some more ice and snow before we can call it Spring.
With that in mind it’s a convenient time to reiterate and think about some of the sensible winter driving advice we should all be aware of.
• Before you set off, realise that your journey is going to take longer than usual. Leave early, be patient and live with it.
• Ensure your mobile phone is fully charged and that someone knows where you are going and when you are expected to return.
• Clear the car’s windows thoroughly. Looking through a tiny porthole in the windscreen is not good enough – and it’s illegal.
• If you have a great wedge of snow on the bonnet and roof of the car – clear it off.
• When driving in snow and ice, think about momentum – it’s about keeping moving where possible, approach junctions and other hazards slowly and try to plan ahead, using your steering, accelerator and brakes gently and sparingly to maintain an overall flow to the drive.
• Bends, hills and sloping approaches to junctions need particular care. Get in a low gear early and keep it steady.
• Try to stay on the main roads, they are more likely to have been gritted and to have had other traffic on them. Even if you are brave and competent enough o use a cross country back road you may find it blocked by somebody else’s misfortune.
• If the worst happens and you have to get out of your car, either because you are stuck or you’ve slid off, stand well away from the vehicle. Remember – the next driver along might slide off in the same place, in which case they could collide with your car and, possibly, you.
• Sometimes staying in the car with the heater on might be the best option, even for short spells, but you’ve really got to balance the safety aspects of the particular location in which you find yourself. If there’s any chance of somebody colliding with your vehicle at speed – get out of it.
Keep it safe and enjoy the change in the seasons – it’s still better than living somewhere where it’s sunny all year round, er, isn’t it?
