Posts Tagged ‘snow’
Get Ready for Winter Driving
With latest weather forecasts warning us in the UK that we can expect some snow how prepared are you for some real winter weather?
The long period of cold, snowy weather that we experienced early in 2009 highlighted how unprepared we in the U.K. are for true wintery conditions. Perhaps I shouldn’t generalize because people in the north of the British isles tend to fare better than their soft southern counterparts. Scotland tends to be better able to cope with intense wintery conditions as they experience some bad winter weather nearly every year.
One problem that arose early in 2009 was that gritting trucks ran out of road grit. It has been suggested that this was due to local authorities running out of money. But this is really due to poor resource planning. While the south can experience periods of intensely bad winter weather they tend to be shortlived. The prolonged period of five weeks of icy, snowy conditions meant that there wasn’t enough grit to last.
But what do they do in countries like Sweden and Norway where snow lays on the ground for most of the winter?
Driving on snow covered, icy roads is treacherous. Not only due to the slippery road surfaces but also as a result of poor visibility. Winter tyres are recommended.
In Norway and Sweden some road gritting is carried out but this is usually concentrated on busier road junctions. One you are off of the main roads you will find that you are driving on compacted snow. When driving on these road surfaces you must always travel slowly and never make any sudden movements.Overtaking is not a good idea in these dangerous driving conditions.
A set of winter tyres can be useful. The tyres contain some added silicone which helps them to remain flexible at low temperatures. They also tend to have a heavier tread pattern with fine lateral cuts which help the tyre to put as much surface as possible in contact with the ground.
Another possible option is to use snow chains but these are only of any use in snowy conditions and not very good for ice covered roads.Another useful option is studded tyres, which can be helpful on icy road surfaces.
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