Some Motoring Tips To Prepare You For Winter

Friday, 31. October 2008

It is that time of year when safety organisations remind drivers to carry out safety checks to ensure that you don’t find yourself with a broken car or skidding out of control on icy roads. Make sure that you check your tyres and pressures and your brakes. You can have your battery condition checked for free at most battery fitters, better to replace before you get into the car on a frosty morning and find the battery dead. Check the washer bottle and make sure that you have enough anti-freeze washer to make sure that the water doesn’t freeze up. Also have your water checked and if necessary have the system drained and refilled with recommended anti-freeze to water mix. If you drive a diesel car they still have to rely on pre-heaters so to get the best performance and avoid unnecessary wear and tear on the engine you should make sure you give the pre-heaters time to work before driving off. Some modern cars start the pre-heaters when you click the central locking blipper but you should also let the engine warm a little before setting off. Also, don’t set off when the windows are still either frosty or misted up, it is easy to have an accident and you could be prosecuted for driving with impaired vision. A Fleet Safety Forum has launched a campaign to make drivers more aware of the need to carry out safety checks. An information pack can be obtained from Brake by emailing admin@brake.org.uk . The pack includes a poster that says: ‘You try to eat 5 veg a day but do you do 5 checks a day?’. Stay safe this winter. By Graham Hill