Top Tips for Safe Winter Driving

Even if you’re a highly experienced driver, navigating the roads during the winter can be tricky. Black ice, snow and even hail storms can catch out road users at any time so it’s important to be prepared, and minimise your chances of a breakdown - or even worse, an accident. 

Before the worst of the weather arrives, we recommend following these tips to ensure you’ll be driving safely, and staying warm in your cars this winter. 

Check Your Battery

Driving during the winter will put an added strain on your car battery, as you’ll be using your lights, heaters and windscreen wipers much more than usual, so make sure yours is fully charged. Car batteries usually have a life span of about five years, so if yours is around this age we’d recommend replacing it. 

Top Up Your Coolant

Make sure there is enough coolant in your engine, and that it’s mixed with a sufficient amount of anti-freeze for your vehicle. Frozen engines can cost hundreds to replace, whereas a bottle of anti-freeze costs just a few pounds – we know which we’d rather spend!

Give Your Tyres the Once-Over

One of the most important things that you can do to get ready for winter driving is to check your tyres. If you fail to do so, you might not find out that your tyres are worn until it’s too late – so why take the risk? Ensure that your tyres have at least 3mm of tread, and that they are not split, bulging or at a low pressure. Even better, invest in a set of winter tyres from LK Performance to help you really get a grip this winter.

Drive Steadily and Cautiously

When driving in snow or on ice, always accelerate gently using low revs, and change to a higher gear as quickly as you can. Leave a much larger gap than normal between you and the vehicle in front, and if you skid while driving, steer into the direction of the skid to regain control. Above all, the best winter driving advice is to drive, steer and brake slowly and steadily and try not to panic, as this is when many accidents happen. 

Clear Your Vision

Having a good view of the road is more vital than ever during the winter, so make sure that your windscreens are completely cleaned inside and out. You should also inspect your wiper blades regularly, as they can be damaged if they become frozen to the screen and are then pulled loose. Clear ice from your windscreen using warm (not hot) water and de-icer, and scrape snow off the entirety of your car before driving anywhere, as loose snow can be a hazard to both you and fellow road users if it should slide off.

Pack the Essentials

While we don’t recommend weighing down your car with lots of unnecessary items, there are some things that you should keep in your car throughout the winter that may well come in handy. These include: an ice scraper; a wind-up torch; sunglasses; jump-start cables; blankets; warm boots; a first aid kit; some snacks and bottles of water; a road atlas; a shovel; a reflective warning sign; and a mobile phone charger. This winter emergency kit will contain everything you need to handle most weather-related car problems, or at least keep you safe and warm until extra help arrives.