Winter in the UK is really starting to kick in and driving conditions become more hazardous as rainfall increases, frosts are more regular and windy weather affecting the roads.
As with all severe driving conditions, it is always best to only make journeys that are neccessary. But we have created these top tips to help you, should you have to venture out.
6 Top Tips for driving in windy wintery conditions
Plan all of your journeys
Before you head out the door, it is always best to plan your route before setting off. Use apps such as Google Maps or Apple Maps to look at any congestion that could be on route, look at weather apps to determine what the weather could be like at specific points of the journey.
If you have Apple CarPlay, use features on the app such as traffic monitoring to show you any accidents, hazards or road closures. Use features such as sharing your location with loved ones so they can keep an eye on your progress.
Most importantly, make sure you have enough juice in your smartphone. Take a charging cable or a backup battery to keep it topped up.
Keep your speed down
Strong winds can affect the ability of your braking and handling of your vehicle (especially commercial vehicles). Driving slower will help you react to any surprise gusts of winds and make sure you are aware of any debris that could be blown into the road.
By decreasing your speed by 10mph over a 30 minute trip will only save you 5 minutes, so is it really worth the risk?
Both hands on the wheel
In reality, you should always keep both hands on the steering wheel, but by doing so will help with your reaction time should a gust of take your vehicle on the motorway or back road.
Keep your distance
We’ve all seen the motorway signs that say “Keep Your Distance” but it is one of the rules you should definately follow during severe weather.
Always obey the 2-second rule, especially if it is raining.
Give buses, cyclists and lorries extra space in front and behind, or if you are passing.
Overtaking
During strong winds, high sided vehicles such as lorries are more likely to topple on their side. Especially on open motorways such as the M1 or M62.
So with this in mind, make sure you give them additional space. If thy are in Lane 1, use Lane 3 to safely pass just in case a sudden gust of wind should move the vehicle.
Weather Reports
Listening to local radio stations, expecially those from the BBC will help you keep up to date with the local weather forecasts and traffic conditions.
Ask passengers who are traveling with you to check weather apps and even Twitter for anything you need to be made aware of.
It is really important to stay up-to-date with what is going on, for a safe journey.
Summary
Have you got any tips for driving in windy wintery condtions that we may have missed?
If so drop us a line below and we will try and keep this article up to date.
