Tips for safe driving on slippery winter roads

Unsurprisingly a large number of the car accidents which happen every year on British roads, occur during the winter months. During this time the road surfaces in this country are hit by a mix of snow, rain and freezing cold which can leave roads frighteningly slippery and treacherous, even for the best of drivers. This makes it very important to know how to negotiate these road surfaces as safely as possible, if you have to drive on them. These are some tips for driving safely on slippery winter roads. Firstly it advisable not to be too aggressive when it comes to accelerating on slippery roads, as this will affect the level of traction the tyres are able to maintain and the wheel-spin that results can lead either to loss of control in the steering. If you become aware either of wheel-spin or that the tyres are struggling to secure traction on the road surface, the worst thing you can do is increase the speed – the better option is to slow down the vehicle before gently reassuming your speed. Ideally you should aim to keep your speed as low as you can when driving on slippery roads, and also try to ensure as much space as you possibly can between your vehicle and those in front and behind, for safety reasons. If you wish to improve the safety of your driving during the winter months, you can either invest in specialist winter tyres – which are designed to offer a far greater degree of grip and flexibility in very cold temperatures and on slippery roads – or you can change to a vehicle which has an anti-lock braking system (ABS) as this will enable you to maintain control of the steering better on bad road surfaces. Winter tyres are certainly a safer option for particularly bad roads, but are not suitable for other times of the year, so you will have to buy summer tyres for dealing with dry road in warmer weather as well – which can be inconvenient and more expensive. If you have been in an collision and you want to discuss things with legal firms in sheffield, then visit www.irwinmitchell.com, or ring 0870 1500 100.