Driving Safely in Inclement Weather - December 2010

This regularly updated section of the HomeApproved web site will cover the latest trends, research, opinion and developments in the UK car insurance sector. 

Driving Safely in Inclement Weather
At the time of writing their are 6,500 schools closed in the UK, many employees at home unable to travel into their place of work and thousands of motorists and commuters having spent hours stuck on motorways because of the adverse weather hitting the UK.

Freezing temperatures, blocked roads, black ice and icy pavements have meant that driving on UK roads has been and continues to be at best dangerous and at worst reckless. Fresh falls of overnight snow have caused chaos at major UK airports, Gatwick closed for a second day in a row. With the Met Office warning of very heavy snow falls to come over most parts of north-east England, even more problems on the roads could emerge on Friday.

If you just have to make that journey by car (and we stress their is simply no other option) their is some checks you can carry out on your vehicle before setting off on that long journey:

1. Check and replace the antifreeze in the radiator
2. Make sure your lights are clean and check the bulbs
3. Ensure your windscreen is clean
4. Replace the battery if it's not reliable
5. For peace of mind always carry an emergency kit
6. Ensure your tyres are correctly inflated and replace them if the tread has reached the legal minimum.

Always remember to take regular breaks from driving - tiredness and loss of concentration are major contributing factors to road accidents.