Whether you are taking driving lessons or have already passed your test the recent change in the weather with the ice and snow means disruption on the roads. The weather has left many drivers facing chaos on rural roads and even motorways and with icy temperatures predicted for the coming days it looks like the bad weather is here to stay for a while.
Driving lessons in the bad weather
If you are taking driving lessons with us your lessons will continue while it is safe to do so. If you do have a lesson during the bad weather and your instructor feels that you have the confidence and experience to deal with the road conditions it’s a great chance to get some experience driving in these difficult conditions while your instructor is with you. They will be able to give you tips and advice on how to adapt your driving for the weather conditions and what to do in different conditions. You are going to have to learn to drive in these adverse conditions once you have passed your driving test and it makes sense to learn how to do it safely when you have the chance. A lot of people never drive in the bad weather until they have passed their test and miss out on a valuable opportunity to improve their skills.
Will my driving test go ahead in the bad weather?
The DVSA and your driving instructors have to take into consideration your best interests, the safety of themselves and other road users. If weather conditions are extreme and the Police and motoring organisations are advising drivers not to travel unless it’s absolutely necessary, then your test may be cancelled and a new date arranged. If this happens or if you are unsure if your test will go ahead call your instructor or your local test centre for more information. Don’t assume your test has been cancelled because your may have to pay again for a rescheduled test if you do not attend.
Top tips for driving in the bad weather
The Police and motoring organisations will put out recommendations when there is bad weather on whether it’s safe to drive. Consider then if your journey is essential or if for example you can work from home or visit friends another day.
Brake gently and earlier than normal, keep your speed down, slow and steady is much safer and accelerate slowly. Stopping distances increase in the bad weather so you will need to allow a much greater distance, up to 10 times, in case the car slides. Sharply applying the brakes in bad weather could meant that your tyres lock and the car slides across the road. If you do skid try to stay calm and remember to turn into the skid to stop you from spinning and to help regain control. Always avoid using cruise control in the snow as it will not be able to react to the change in conditions quickly enough.
Where possible stick to busier main roads as these may be been gritted or cleared. Try and plan your journey to avoid any hills, sharp bends or other hazards.
Always allow more time for your journey. Make sure you fully defrost the car before you move off to that you can see clearly and you must remove snow or ice from the windscreen, other windows, mirrors, lights, bonnet, number plates and roof of the car. Failing to clear your your screen and have poor visibility or having snow on your bonnet or roof could cause and accident or land you with a fine.
Check online before you start your journey to check the local travel reports and tune your radio into a local radio station for the latest updates.
In heavy snow make sure that you use dipped headlight beams, running on daytime running lights is not enough. If visibility is really poor and you can’t see an object 100 metres in front of you clearly, turn on your fog lights, but remember to turn these off if visibility improves. Strange as it may seem, it’s also worth carrying a pair of sunglasses to help reduce the glare of low winter sun that may reflect off the snow.