Driving conditions in Britain during the winter months can be both difficult and hazardous. Yet with a little care, consideration and prior planning, it is possible to minimise the risk and maximise the safety aspects for you, your passengers and other road users. Bill Plant Driving School has come up with some tips to make sure you drive safely this winter:

Prepare your Vehicle

Before winter sets in:

• Have your vehicle serviced.
• Check your lights and brakes are in good working order.
• Check the condition of your tyres; particularly the tread and pressures.
• Check your anti-freeze levels and have it topped up where necessary.
• Make sure your battery is fully charged and in good condition.
• Make sure your lights are clean and your windscreen and windows are clear.
• Make sure your wipers are in good order and work well.
• Top-up your screen washer levels.

Before Setting off on a Journey

Before you leave on a journey during bad weather conditions:

• Ask yourself … Is the journey really essential?
• Before you venture out, check the weather forecast and make sure you know and understand the weather hazards that you might face on the journey.
• Listen to travel information bulletins and road conditions from the local and national radio networks.
• Make sure you have enough fuel in the tank … a full tank if possible.
• Let someone at your proposed destination know your estimated time of arrival.
• Don’t venture out in snow and ice without warming up your car to it’s normal running temperature.

Take the Right Equipment With You

For your own safety and comfort consider whether you should take the following with you:

• Spare fuel
• Shovel
• Hazard warning triangle
• Spare wheel (inflated to the correct pressure and with good tread).
• High visibilty jacket.
• Jump leads.
• Emergency tyre weld (for ‘low speed’ repair).
• Wellington boots (or similar).
• Torch/flashlight.
• Car blanket.
• Fire extinguisher.
• Mobile phone for emergency calls (Don’t use it when you’re driving though).
• Flask with a warm drink.
• Sunglasses/shades (for that low-in-the-sky sun).

On Your Journey

When you’ve commenced your journey:

• If you get stuck, try not to abandon your vehicle, stay with it until help arrives.
• If you are forced to leave your vehicle wear a high visibilty jacket or tabard.
• Use dipped headlights in rain, fog, sleet, snow or where visibility is poor.
• Travel at a sensible speed that will enable you to stop within your field of vision. Reduce your speed compared to ‘normal’ driving conditions.
• Keep a safe stopping distance behind the vehicle in front.
• Stop for a break every couple of hours and take refreshments (but don’t drink alcohol!).
• Avoid drowsiness, keep your car well ventilated.
• Avoid braking harshly … similarly, don’t accelerate hard or steer violently.
• Watch out for other road users and give them plenty of room and consideration.

When the traffic lights are set to green as you approach them, do you really know what it means? You may think it means all clear to go and this is only half right because in truth it means you can go if it is safe to do so. How long has it been green? The longer that it has of course the more likely it is to change to amber and that means stop and not I think I can get through!

When the lights are at green, or in your favour, look both ways as you approach the junction, to satisfy yourself that you can get across safely, some joker might be taking a chance the other way. As always keep your eye on your rear view mirror as someone may be following you too closely, allowing you to slow carefully if the light changes to amber. All traffic lights are set according to the speed zones in which they are placed. If you are doing the correct speed limit, you will have adequate time to stop if the lights change to amber.

If you planning on travelling overseas to the United States, Europe, or Canada, you need to be prepared to drive on the opposite side of the road than what you are used to.  With careful planning and a lot of concentration, you can easily navigate the roads of another country without problems. 

If you land in a foreign country and hire a rental car, you are immediately faced with the reality of driving on the opposite side of the road.  When visiting the United States and Canada, you will be driving a vehicle on the right-hand side of the road with the driver’s seat, steering wheel, and pedals on the left-hand side of the car.  This will seem strange at first, but with patience, you will get used to it.  Regardless of what the car you drive looks like or which side the steering wheel is on, always check out the fluids and tire pressure before you off on a trip.  Vehicles overseas have the same dipsticks for checking oil, compartment for distributing gas, and so on.

Make sure you pay attention to the many different road signs in the country you are in.  The pictures on the traffic signs are usually all you need to understand the message the country is trying to convey.  Traffic lights are different in each country, with amber meaning to go with caution, in most places.  One of the biggest differences between driving in the United Kingdom and the United States is the way pedestrian crossing systems work.  In the UK, when approaching a crossing you are expected to slow down and stop if there are pedestrians in the walkway.  The pedestrian crossings in the United States are not like this, so you need to be aware of people crossing the road at traffic lights.

Motorists are still being hit by rises in petrol prices even though oil is up to 25 per cent cheaper than in it was mid-July. Motorist throughout Britain are asking the question, “when oil increases in price, why do fuel prices react with amazing speed, but when the oil price falls, reaction to this is at a snails pace? Yet the AA reported that the average price at the pumps has actually risen by 0.5p a litre – to 112.72p – since the end of last week.

The motoring organisation said an 18 per cent drop in the wholesale price of petrol has not been fully passed on and that this reduction in price should represent a reduction of 8.5p per litre at the pump. Fuel prices hit a peak in July and they have been dropping from their peak on the 17th of that month at 119.7 for petro; and 133.25 for diesel, although not at the rate that they increased.

All drivers should be reminded that new careless driving laws are now in force and conviction under these can in certain cases mean a lengthy jail sentence. An example is of a driver who was in a conversation on his mobile ‘phone with his mother for a staggering 23 minutes, was inevitably in collision with other vehicles resulting in a death and serious injuries to others. As a result of his misdemeanors he received a prison sentence of four and a half years.

Talking, or using text messaging on your mobile telephone is not the only offence for which you could be imprisoned, others are drinking and eating, applying make-up or anything else which takes your concentrations away from the road will now be considered by courts. The example given highlights just how important it is for drivers to concentrate on the road ahead at all times.

When you drive it is your responsibility to make sure your car is in the best shape possible.  Accidents usually happen due to human error, but sometimes they are caused by a malfunction in your vehicle.  It is imperative that you maintain your vehicle so that you can avoid any equipment malfunctions that could inadvertently cause an accident.  Vehicle manufacturers are obliged to make sure the automobiles they make meet at least the minimum standards set out by the law.  This is one of the reasons why they are constantly making improvements to their product to make them easy and safe to drive, including safety measures such as airbags and safety belts.

Brake systems are highly advanced dual circuit systems.  This keeps a complete brake failure from happening, but faulty brakes could keep a vehicle from slowing down or stopping properly.  Most vehicles are made with disc brakes and many have systems that keep them from the locking during an emergency.  Regardless of the type of transmission your car has, it should always hold the road.  Front wheel and rear wheel drive vehicles both handle differently on varied terrain, as does 4-wheel drive.  Know how your vehicle is supposed to handle before getting behind the wheel.

The inside of the vehicle is just as important.  Always make sure your seat is set so that you can easily reach the controls, see the road ahead, and are comfortable while driving.  Always use your safety restraints and make sure that any child that is traveling with you is also properly restrained, in a child safety seat if applicable, and away from air bags.  If your air bags do deploy due to an accident, make sure you have it replaced by a licensed technician.

It seems never to have stopped raining for the last month and this has brought the usual crop of troubles suffered by some of the motoring public, how to deal with a flash flood. The first thing we would suggest is not to drive your vehicle unless it is absolutely necessary. Always avoid deep water and where possible find an alternative route. 

Driving through deep water may be necessary so always choose the highest section of the road and don’t set off if a vehicle is travelling in the opposite direction. Try to be sensible and leave time and space for each other, so you don’t swamp someone else. Drive slowly through the water and always use the lowest gear possible keeping your revs high and your speed low. Under no circumstances take your foot off the accelerator, as this could allow water to travel up the exhaust pipe and when you are out of the water hazard, dry the brakes do not wait until you might need them! Remember, close your windows and please in rain condition use your headlight when it is necessary to use your wipers.

Many people drive for a living, whether they are a courier for a firm or the driver of a large truck.  It has been estimated that close to one third of the traffic accidents that occur on the roads in the United Kingdom involve someone who is driving as part of their job.  With close to eight hundred collisions a year, and up to one thousand deaths because of it, job related driving is one of the riskiest activities a person could engage in while in employment.  In 2003, the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) announced that all companies with five or more employees will be heavily investigated if any of their workers are involved in a motor accident.  Employers who cannot provide proof of adequate procedures and polices that are put in place by the company could risk prosecution and imprisonment.

According to information released by the HSE, employers, managers, or supervisors that have staff that drive a vehicle for their job are responsible for ensuring that their employees understand road safety as it pertains to their job.  The employers must make sure the vehicles are in a safe working condition and complying with all laws.  They are also required to make sure their employees’ safety and the safety of others are not put at risk.  They must manage all health and safety issues effectively, and review, monitor, and assess how the policies and procedures are being followed.

The law is designed to protect any staff member who needs to drive as part of their everyday job.  This would include driving short distances for off-site meetings, site visits, and business travel, say to another city.  Both company and privately owned vehicles are covered.  By having an occupational road-risk management program in place, companies can do their part to reduce the number of serious accidents and fatalities.

There can be no doubt that fatigue a silent killer and it works in similar way to alcohol. Drivers who are slightly tired will not drive as well or as safely as those who are alert. As tiredness increases, mental and physical performance drops until eventually the driver falls asleep, this is not opinion but fact. It is known that one in five motorway crashes are related to fatigue, statistics are hard to come by as drivers who are tired will rarely admit to it if involved in an accident.

There are ways that we can reduce fatigue by taking some simple steps, which includes firstly start your journey alert by getting plenty of rest before you begin your long journey, perhaps taking the family on holiday, which can be stressful if children are involved. Wear comfortable clothing, adjust the seat to an upright position, and keep the car cool, but definitely not cold. Try to avoid night driving when we should be asleep anyway and remember that afternoon driving is a high risk period. Take regular breaks and do not try to drive through a period when you feel fatigue coming on. There are no medals to be won driving when tired its better to be late than “dead on time”.

New laws come into effect from Monday the 17th August 2008 meaning those motorists who kill while using a mobile phone will face prison. Currently drivers who kill can walk away from court with a £5,000 fine and points on their licence, but under the new laws, careless or distracted drivers could be given a custodial sentence of up to five years.

These penalties apply to those who were “avoidably distracted” and by this it is meant for example, using a mobile phone, drinking or eating at the wheel, adjusting a car stereo or applying make-up. The Ministry of Justice claims that 150 motorists will be jailed every year under the “death by careless” offence. Further legislation includes jailing those motorists who drive uninsured, or who are unlicensed and they can expect a two year custodial sentence as well.

Drivers who kill through carelessness will no longer be able to walk away from court with just a fine.