Top tips to staying on the road this winter:

IF YOU FIND YOUR CAR COVERED IN SNOW, CLEAR IT OFF FROM THE ROOF DOWN WITH A SWEEPING BRUSH.

We’ve all seen people driving along without a care in the world with a slab of snow on their roof. the fun starts when they put on the brakes to stop and an avalanche slides down their windscreen!

Once the bulk of the snow is cleared use an ice scarper to clear the glass of frost. A can of de-icer can do the job too and is handy on mirrors and stuck locks too. Never use hot water as the sudden change in temperature could crack the glass. Luke warm water is fine to use if you’re stuck but it also tends to re-freeze so run the engine and put the air conditioning on. Point the hot air in the direction of the windscreen.

Don’t leave the car unattended while the engine is running as it could be stolen. Also never activate any heated screens, heated mirrors, heated seats or air conditioning with the engine off. they use lots of battery power and you’ll need plenty of electricity to start the engine.

GET A GRIP WITH THE BEST TYRES YOU CAN AFFORD.

Once a week check the pressure to see if they need to be pumped. the pressures should be set according to the car’s manual (tyre pressures are often printed on a metal looking plate inside the driver’s door too).

Winter tyres provide the best grip in cold and wet weather. they are specially designed to work better than standard summer tyres (the ones we all use) at temperatures of 7 degrees centigrade or lower.

We have seen some unbranded winter tyres that are shockingly substandard to say the least!

DO THE MAJORITY OF YOUR BRAKING WHEN YOU ARE GOING STRAIGHT.

this upsets the car’s balance the least. It also allows the tyres to do one less job in a corner as they can provide their maximum grip to let the steering wheels – steer! Asking a tyre to steer and brake at the same time puts it under a severe workload and also adds to wear.

IF THERE IS SNOWFALL YOU’LL BE SURPRISED AT HOW GRIPPY FRESH SNOW IS.

However don’t be lulled into a false sense of security just because your car is driving along fine – remember you still have to be able to stop. Four-wheel drive cars are great for being able to move off and climb up hills but when it comes to stopping they are as fragile as a normal car.

All cars have four-wheel brakes and thanks to anti lock brakes, cars today help drivers keep control in slippy conditions. the key is to keep the tyres moving and gripping so you can still steer.

When snow is compacted or has glazed over with a film of ice it is then extremely slippy and dangerous.

SPILLS, ESPECIALLY DIESEL, ARE OFTEN ONLY NOTICED AFTER YOU’VE DRIVEN THROUGH THEM

Diesel in particular has a smell that motorcyclists live in fear of. If you see a spill and are travelling in a straight line, stay calm!

Don’t do anything sudden like brake (or steer sharply) as the car will simply continue on its course without fuss. Skids thrive when there is a sudden loss of tyre grip and this can be avoided by the driver being smooth with the controls.

the spectacular sport of drifting is the opposite of what we drivers need to do on the roads this winter. Drifters deliberately over inflate their rear tyres and while jerking at the steering wheel dip the clutch and then put their accelerator foot through the floor to get the tyres to lose grip.

then they use their circus skills to balance the direction of travel by steering with opposite lock (to the direction the car wants to skid) and feathering the throttle to keep the slide on.

If you really want to be prepared for a skid and not experience one for the first time when you are ‘on the way to the scene of the accident’ (ex. F1 driver Martin Brundle line) there are anti-skid course you can do in Ireland and they can be found online.