Does the picture to the left look familiar? When the weather turns bad often the chances of a car crash increase as the road gets slippery and visibitily decreases. This means you have to be much more careful when driving, perhaps at this point it is wise to consider winter tyres? Check out our winter tyres guide for reasons why you should consider them during the winter season as they aren’t just for snow and ice, they work in low temperatures.

Regardless of winter tyres, try to follow these 10 rules of how to drive and keep safe in such bad weather:

1. Inspect your car before a journey e.g. make sure your lights are working
2. You can’t drive if you can’t see – keep your windscreen clear
3. Many people can get stuck or breakdown so in bad weather keep an emergency kit handy; extra clothing, food, drink, torch, shovel etc
4. Leave enough time to reach your destination, traffic and accidents always increase in bad weather
5. Speeding is never a good idea, reduce it even more on slippery surfaces – safety first
6. Try not to brake harshly when driving, brake in a steady and controlled manner or you increase the chances of locking the tyres and skidding into something you don’t want to
7. Use the technique of engine braking by changing down a gear as well as using the brakes
8. Change into a higher gear when possible to avoid spinning the wheels (most notable between first and second gear)
9. Leave a larger gap than normal from the car infront as braking distances increase in severe conditions
10. Check your tyres; ensure they are correctly inflated and meet the tread limit at the very least

Flickr Photo Credits: http://www.flickr.com/photos/dougww/3334053054/

Related posts:

1. Winter Tyres Guide & Review