The bad weather, darker days and slippier roads can make it difficult to drive throughout the winter months. Oftentimes drivers lack the confidence to drive in winter.
With this in mind, we’ve created this guide with tips to prepare you for your next winter driving journey.
Prepare your car for winter driving
Preparing your car for the winter months is important to ensure you’re ready to drive safely in the different weather conditions that you might face.
Check your tyres
In Ireland, the minimum tread depth is 1.6mm, so be sure to check that your tyres are meeting these minimum standards so you’ve got enough grip on the roads for the winter months. If your tyres are worn down, go to your local mechanics to get new tyres fitted.
It’s also important to ensure that your tyres are pumped up to the correct pressure level on your tyres or in your car manual. It’s recommended that you bring your car to the garage to check the pressure levels of your tyres in advance of the winter months.
Check your wipers
It goes without saying that you need your wipers to be working perfectly throughout the winter months so you can clear your windscreen of any rain, snow or even ice!
Before the winter months roll in you should check whether your wipers are clearing your screen properly to give you full visibility of the road. If there are any patches on your windscreen that aren’t clearing properly, you should go to your local mechanic and they’ll be able to install new wiper blades.
Check your lights
Check that your headlights, brake lights and indicators are all working because you’ll need to use these a lot throughout the dark winter months.
Driving in wintery conditions
Throughout the winter months, we can be faced with an array of wintery conditions, from rain, fog, snow or ice. So, to prepare you for driving in these wintery conditions, we have created some tips to keep in mind while on your journey.
Be prepared for the journey to take longer
When the weather is bad, people will drive more slowly, so if you are heading out to drive in wintery conditions it’s important to be prepared for your journey to take longer than usual. You should plan accordingly and allow ample time to reach your destination.
Slow down
During rainy, snowy or icy spells of weather, the roads can become slippery. It’s important to slow down during these weather spells to ensure you can maximise the amount of grip you have on the road.
Slowing down will also ensure that you have enough time to brake and react while driving.
Increase braking distance
It takes twice as long to stop when driving in rain or snow, so you should increase the distance between your car and the car in front to ensure you have enough space to brake safely.
Turn on your lights
Throughout the winter months, the days can be darker and more gloomy so it’s important to turn your headlights on when driving in winter to ensure visibility and that other cars can see you.
If there are foggy conditions you will need to use your fog lights to aid your visibility. However, when visibility is returned to normal, it’s important to turn off your fog lights so that they don’t dazzle other drivers.
Tips for driving on ice
If you find yourself needing to drive in icy conditions it’s important to be prepared and know how to drive on ice. Check out our article on driving on icy roads for some tips to help you drive safely in icy conditions - from de-icing your car to controlling your car if it skids.
Have an emergency kit in your car
Unfortunately, breakdowns are more common throughout the winter months, so, to be prepared in the event that your vehicle breaks down, you should have an emergency kit in your boot or glovebox.
- A warning reflective triangle
- A hi-vis jacket or vest
- An ice scraper
- Hat and gloves
- A bottle of antifreeze
- A first-aid kit
- A torch
Having these items in your emergency kit will help to keep you safe while waiting for breakdown assistance to arrive.
