Motoring expert shares ways to drive safely when it's icy as temperatures drop
Temperatures across the UK have dropped significantly recently, with some areas reaching less than 0 degrees, making it seriously icy on the roads.
This is likely to make even the most confident road users squirm a little bit, as the thought of driving when the conditions are deemed more unsafe isn't ideal. Even walking outside to your car may make you cringe.
But with Arctic blasts expected across the UK in the coming days and with many back roads not receiving gritting, an expert from @eden_tyres_and_servicing shared how to "stay safe on the roads" when it's icy out there.
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She admitted the first piece of advice she had was "really obvious", but urged road users to "slow down" when it's icy so you can keep yourself, and others, safe.
The second piece of advice was to "do everything as smoothly as possible". This includes your steering, your acceleration, and your braking.
The final piece of advice she gave was one you should "remember from your theory test". She said: "Increase your distance to the car in front by 10 times", so if you have to break in an emergency, you're less likely to be involved in an accident.
According to Red Driving School, in wintery conditions, snow can become compacted in the tyre tread, which greatly reduces the effectiveness of the tyres and their grip on the road. This can lead to sliding and stopping distances up to 10 times greater than on a dry road.
They also shared "allowing plenty of space in front, behind, and to the left and right of your vehicle should prevent any accidents", and if someone is tailgating you, if it's safe to do so, "pull over safely and let the vehicle pass".
According to driving instructor and YouTuber @ehowauto: "When driving in icy conditions, avoid sudden movements, abrupt braking or fast acceleration, turn the wheel in the opposite direction in the case of skidding, and press on the gas pedal or brake pedal very slowly and smoothly. Drive safely on icy roads, watching out, especially for black ice."
In the comments, someone wrote: "Pretty much this. The damn roads are frozen where I live right now but I had to go somewhere today. I'm not at all accustomed to driving in icy conditions, so I was nervous, but it's not rocket science. Just be extremely careful and aware of what you're doing.
"Go slow. Do NOT get overconfident, and when you do start to slide, don't panic. As this guy says, just take your foot off the gas, VERY gently apply your brake and carefully correct your car's forward momentum by steering. That's about it. If you can avoid driving at all, you should do so."
