Winter Driving: Top Tips For Staying Safe On The Road This Winter

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The UK doesn’t often suffer from the extreme weather conditions that you can experience in other countries during the winter. This means that UK drivers don’t often have to battle elements such as severe snow or black ice whilst out on the roads.

However, winter still brings about issues and concerns. Out of all the seasons, winter is definitely the one which requires more thought and preparation so that you can avoid a breakdown or accident happening.

Rain through the window of a car on a motorway

With more chance of rain and the nights now getting darker before 9-5 work has finished, you need to start preparing yourself for winter driving. As a courier driver, you’ll spend more time on the road than the average driver. This means it’s important that you more than anyone gets prepared.

How can you do this? Follow our handy winter driving tips.

Check Your Battery

It’s safe to say that during the winter, you will be using your heater, wipers and lights a lot more than you have been doing. If you find yourself driving regularly in rush hour and in the dark, your battery is eventually going to give in. In fact, due to the cold weather, winter means that your battery may also struggle to get started in the first place on a particular cold morning.

To avoid killing your battery, you should consider the following tips.

  • Switch off all lights, your wipers and the heating, before you kill the engine at the end of a drive.
  • Avoid using heaters more than you have to. Turn it off once the car is warm and your windows are clear.
  • Check that electrical items such as satnavs and iPods aren’t draining your battery.

Batteries usually last around 5 years and it’s well worth replacing before it dies – get it checked out after around 3 years.

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Prepare For Rain

It rains a lot in the UK. Unfortunately, this can’t be avoided and it’s likely that you will find yourself driving in a downpour at some point during your winter commute. Instead of panicking, it’s best to be prepared. Before you set off driving in the rain, you should consider the following things.

  • Plan your journey. Avoid areas that are likely to flood and give yourself plenty of time to arrive.
  • Check your windscreen wipers. Are they fully working? Don’t ever set off if you are unsure.
  • Charge your mobile.
  • Make sure you have enough petrol to get you to your destination.

Whilst on the road, you should:

  • Use dipped headlights – allows others to see you clearly.
  • Reduce your speed – always leave space between you and the vehicle in front.
  • Remember that fast moving vehicles will spray at you – be aware.
  • Listen out to local news bulletins for weather announcements

rainy day iStock_000000429235_Medium

Winter Essentials

It’s essential that you have a winter emergency kit in your vehicle at all times. This should include:

  • First aid kit.
  • Phone charger.
  • Jump start cables.
  • De-icer and scraper.
  • Torch and spare batteries.

As a courier driver, it’s important to have the right insurance so that you are covered in case an accident does unfortunately happen.

courier woman iStock_000048834404_Medium

If you’re a new courier driver who is looking for advice on which courier van insurance you need before starting out, or you’re an experienced driver who is looking to change their insurance, we can help. We have a dedicated team of experts who will be happy to provide you with competitive courier insurance quotes.

For more information on how we can help you, please don’t hesitate to contact us. You can give us a call on 0333 202 3172 or reach us through Facebook and Twitter.

 

 

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