No matter how experienced a driver you are the winter weather can catch anyone out. You need to make sure your extra attentive and that both your car and your driving skills are in top condition.
If you wake up to find your car covered in ice take the time to clear it properly. You cannot see well enough out of one small hole you’ve scraped clear with your credit card. Give yourself a good ten minutes to spray de-icer on all the windows and the mirrors and scrape it away with a proper ice scraper. This may sound like the very cold old fashioned way but pouring boiling water over a frozen windscreen is only going to result in you cracking the glass. At the same time you should also avoid using anything other than a proper ice scraper to scrape the ice, a handy CD case or credit card might be easier in the short term but it’s only going to end up scratching your window. You may not think this is a problem at the moment, but next time you’re driving into a low winter sun, the glare will be almost blinding through scratched glass.
If you hear a high pitched squealing noise when you drive off on an icy day this could mean that either the water pump or the cylinder block (or both) is frozen. You should never drive if it is frozen so pull over and give it time to defrost.
In the winter you should always make sure both the water in the radiator and the screen wash have anti freeze in them. Whereas water will freeze once it reaches zero degrees, anti freeze won’t freeze until it reaches -4o, if the water in your engine does freeze it’s going to expand, if it expands if could end up cracking your pipes or other parts of your engine. You also have the added bonus of the built in corrosion inhibiting compounds in anti freeze which will also help keep your engine in top shape.
Whilst you’re checking out what’s under your bonnet, check the oil by pulling out the dip stick and checking the level is nicely between the min and max level.
Now you know the engine is ready for the bad weather you need to look at the tyres. You need to check the tread, the pressure and the general wear and tear. To be legal the tread needs to be a minimum of 1.6mm, this requirement is because you won’t be able to break safely if they’re any lower. You don’t have to have a ruler to hand to check this, you’ll notice little rubber bars built into your tire tread, once the tyre has worn down to these marks they need to be changed. When it comes to checking the pressure you need to consult your car hand book for the recommended pressure. If they’re under inflated they are going to be very uneconomical to drive on and if they’re over inflated they’re not going to grip the road as well as they should. If you’re caught driving on illegal tyres you could be points on your licence and a fine, if you’re involved in an accident and your tyres are found to be at fault you could face a charge of death by dangerous driving which carries with it a prison sentence.
Don’t forget the driver needs to be just as well maintained as the car, if you’re unsure about your route make sure you pull over before consulting a map, or even better invest in a Garmin Nuvi sat nav.
