Winter is here – is your vehicle all set?

As road users brace themselves for freezing temperatures, Niki Cronje, group marketing at Imperial Road Safety, provides some useful and potentially lifesaving tips to keep in mind on the road as the winter sets in.

Road users should follow these tips:

• When driving in winter weather do not underestimate the importance of regular pre-trip inspections or scheduling your car service a little earlier.
• Make sure the cooling level is full and there is enough anti-freeze in the system to protect against freezing.
• Check that your heaters are working; they will be needed to defrost icy windows.
• Fit a new pair of windscreen wipers, as cold mornings often bring a layer of ice to your windscreen. To avoid an icy windshield, mix three parts white vinegar with one part cold water and then use a spray bottle the night before. This makes it much easier to wipe the windscreen down the next day in the cold weather, however, be careful to avoid getting the mixture onto your paintwork.
• Keep tyres inflated to the correct pressure with at least 1mm minimum tread depth.
• Remove ice or dew from the windshield, windows and mirrors prior to your departure from home or the office so you can see and communicate with other drivers effectively.
• Decrease your speed and leave yourself plenty of room to stop your vehicle. You should allow a safe following distance of two to three seconds and five to six in bad weather conditions.
• Drive in a lower gear to improve traction and do not speed up when on an incline, as you could cause your tyres to spin.
• Don’t use cruise control or overdrive on icy roads.
• Take care of visibility by keeping your lights on and the windscreen clean.
• Reduce your speed when meeting large vehicles such as trucks and buses.
• When driving in less than perfect conditions, pay attention to what is going on around you so that you can prevent a crash from occurring.
• Remember to keep an eye out for runners in the early morning and evening. Runners will still be on the roads at the same time, however, with the sun setting sooner and rising a lot later in winter, the likelihood of being unseen increases for them.