Self catered ski holidays often go hand in hand with self drive holidays. With snow falling again in the Alps and with a cold snap forecast for the UK, now is the perfect time to announce our Winter Driving Survival Kit competition, in partnership with the RAC.
Keeping Safe on Winter Roads
Whether you’re lucky enough to be living in the mountains or not, chances are that you’ll encounter some tricky driving conditions this winter. To help you out we’ve partnered with the RAC, the UK’s leading supplier of breakdown cover to offer you some quick tips to staying safe on the road as well as giving you the chance to win some great winter survival gear.
Winter Driving Tips:
Spending time in the cold trying to dig yourself out of snow or waiting to be rescued is the last thing you want to be doing this winter. Luckily, many of these instances are avoidable by simply taking some simple precautions:
1. Check Your Car – Making sure your car is set up correctly can solve all sorts of issues so remember to check these components before setting out:
i. Car Battery – Batteries are more liable to go flat during the winter months so check them regularly.
ii. Coolant & Screenwash – Make sure both of these are topped up; the coolant needs to contain sufficient anti-freeze and the screenwash should be at the right concentration.
iii. Tyres – Check that the tread on your tyres isn’t too worn. We recommend a depth of at least 3mm.
iv. Wiper Blades – Examine them for damage and be careful when freeing them from your windscreen during icy weather as this can cause damage.
2. Keep These Items In Your Car – Even if you make all the necessary checks and preparations you can’t guarantee that you won’t have some sort of incident. To make sure you’re prepared for multiple eventualities we recommend you keep these supplies in your car at all times:
o Ice scrapper and de-icer
o Torch and spare batteries – or a wind-up torch
o Warm clothes and blankets – for you and all passengers
o Boots with grip
o First aid kit
o Jump start cables
o Food and a warm drink in a thermos
o Shovel
o Reflective warning sign
o Road atlas
o Sunglasses – the glare off the snow can be dazzling
o In-car mobile phone charger
3. Adjust Your Driving Style – Ice and snow covered roads are much more sensitive so even if you’re not a naturally aggressive driver it’s still important to heed these tips. You need to accelerate gently and change up to a higher gear quickly to avoid spinning your wheels. If you suffer from wheel spin when trying to get moving, try changing into second gear. It goes without saying that there is much less grip on icy roads; in fact did you know that you may need up to 10 times the normal stopping distance between yourself and the car in front?
Be wary about driving in the tracks of other cars – the snow is more compact and can be icier. If you do encounter a skid, drive into it to regain control and refrain from slamming on the brakes. For example, if the rear of your car is sliding to the right, steer right. And don’t be caught out by the sun – low winter sun combined with white snow can cause dazzling glare so always take a pair of sunglasses with you.
Follow these tips and your chances of arriving at your destination safe and sound will sky rocket. However, you can never remove the risk of an incident completely so we recommend taking out breakdown cover, just to be safe.
To make sure you’re prepared if you do breakdown in the cold we’re giving away some winter essentials, courtesy of the RAC:
o A Winter Driving Kit
o Rud Shoe Chains
o A Foldable Snow Shovel
We’re offering you various different ways to enter – each way gives you one entry.