Each time you head out on to the road, you are likely to face a unique set of challenges. However, there are few more testing challenges for any driver than facing icy conditions on the road.
As the temperatures plummet across the South East during the winter months, the road conditions can be tricky to say the least and this is even more so for inexperienced drivers.
Offering Help & Advice
At Surrey Driving Force, we are also happy to provide some extra help wherever necessary and as such, have drawn up a list of some tips which will help to make driving in icy conditions a little bit easier than they might be.
- Take Your Time: Rushing when driving is never a good idea and when conditions are poor, driving faster than necessary can spell danger for all road users. Always remember that it is always preferable to arrive late than not to arrive at all.
- Leave Plenty of Space: When the road conditions are slippery, stopping distances significant increase so take care to leave a greater distance between your car and the one in front.
- Brake Gently: To help reduce the chances of skidding, take great care to brake gently when conditions are icy; the same should also apply when accelerating.
- Avoid Sudden Actions: Icy conditions can make cornering treacherous, therefore you should again take great care to ensure that you avoid making any sudden movements with the steering wheel when driving.
The Scourge of Drivers
Without doubt, black ice is the scourge of drivers, particularly due to the fact that it is almost impossible to see because it is so difficult to differentiate between it and the rest of the road. The first thing many drivers know about encountering a patch of black ice is when they lose control of their car.
Black ice has a tendency to form early in the morning or later in the evenings when temperatures are at their lowest. Therefore these are the times that you will need to stay particularly vigilant.
What Should You Do?
If you do hit black ice and your car begins to skid, the most important thing to do is to stay calm. Although your natural reaction may be to press hard on the brakes, this can often make things worse and therefore if you are not in danger of hitting another car, the best thing to do is often absolutely nothing. Simply allow your car to pass over the patch of ice before moving on slowly.
If you would like any further information regarding hints and tips to make driving in icy conditions easier, please check out the following link on the official UK government website https://www.gov.uk/driving-adverse-weather-conditions-226-to-237/icy-and-snowy-weather-228-to-231