Worried About The Winter Road?

The winter can be a harsh time for anyone who needs to use the roads. If you’re a newly qualified driver, you might fear this time of year more than any other. If you’ve been driving for a while, there’s a good chance you’ve had a bad winter experience whilst behind the wheel – either way, you need to prepare yourself for the festive season ahead.

So you’ve done some extensive preparation in time for the colder season, to make sure your vehicle is never at fault when on roads covered in ice and snow and frigid temperatures that might affect your engine. However, do you, as the driver, think you can handle driving down these winter roads? Will you be able to handle any situations that come your way? Now’s the time to make sure of that – read on if you’re a bit worried about your own skills during the upcoming extreme temperatures and conditions.

Remember everything you’ve learned about driving and stay calm. (Image)

Be Slow with the Pedals

If you’re driving on roads that have patches of black ice on them, there’s a good chance you’ll never know about it! It could just look like small piles of mud up against the kerb, or it could just be a darker spot out in front of you on the road – usually, these aren’t signs for concern.

But during the winter months, they are. So when it comes to changing gears, stopping at junctions and traffic lights, as well as just simple and normal driving, be sure to slow down on your acceleration and deceleration. It’s not a game of zero to sixty, like it might seem during the summer when the road is clear as far as you can see in front of you, and you need to be hyper aware of the speeds you’re driving at. Be hesitant with the gas, and keep your foot permanently on the brake as well – but be sure to squeeze just it bit slower, and give yourself plenty of time before you need to actually stop.

Make Sure You’ve Slept Well

Sleeping well before you drive is always a necessity, but during the winter months, you’re going to need more quality kip energy in you than ever before. You’re going to need faster reaction times on your side, as well as a boosted memory to make sure you’re never forgetting any of the rules of the road.

All in all, if you’re starting to feel drowsy behind the wheel, when it’s cold and foggy out, be sure to pull over as soon as you can. You can try to get a quick nap in, or even just finish off the cup of coffee you have sat beside you – as long as you’re awake and alert when you get back on the road again. But if you’re conscious of the idea that you might become tired whilst you’re driving, before you actually head off, try to postpone your journey.

Be Extra Vigilant

This idea goes hand in hand with the point above it. With all those Christmas and New Year celebrations going on, as well as bad temperatures to try driving in, car accidents always rank up during the winter. And this makes for some very unsafe roads, even if the stretch in front of you looks relatively clear.

If you’re worried about coming into contact with anyone who falls into a category like this, especially if they’re behind the wheel and either in front of or behind you, make sure you know what to do. You can find out where DUI Classes Near Me are, as well as brush up on your crash procedure, and always be sure to have your seatbelt on – sometimes we can forget about this, especially if we’re leaving a party ourselves!

Use Roads You Know

If you’re someone who’s worried about the condition of the roads you’ll be driving down this winter, then make sure you’re sticking to routes you know well, and try not to deviate from them. Even if you’ve got a long distance journey ahead of you, try to scout out the route before hand on something like Google maps, and always have an Atlas in your car just in case.

If you’re worried about the roads this winter, make sure you’re preparing your own driving skills to take care of any potential situations that may arise. After all, winters can be good or bad, and you never truly know how it will affect you.