Winter Motoring Advice

Winter is all but upon us here in the UK,

We know, summer was a shambles ( weather men called it mild?) well if last winter was anything to go by then where in for a long cold one again, the roads havn’t even been repaired after the last onslaught of rain, ice and snow, I dread to think what state they are going to be in next spring, anyone fancy a 4×4 yet? maybe battery powered jeeps are the way forward.

But until then make sure you are as prepared for the winter weather as best you can, a few simple low cost maintence tasks could make a difference,

Tyres,

Check the tread, 1.6mm is the legal limit but if yours are at that level now it would be a good idea to change them for some nice new one’s. For more detailed advice on car tyres and online tyre prices have a read through the buyers guides to budget car tyres. Check the pressures, get your owners manual out or read the information on the tyre sidewall to find out, a handy tip if the roads are covered with snow or are slippy is to reduce the pressure slightly, this will increase the contact area of the tyre on the road, bear in mind this will increase wear and fuel consumption.

Battery

If your car battery is getting tired now then there is a good chance that the first touch of frost one morning will prevent your car from starting, car batteries don’t perform well in cold conditions.

Screenwash

Top it up with a good additive that way it won’t freeze quite so easy. ( also put a can of de-icer in the car at the same time,)

Oil change

If your oil hasn’t been changed for a while, consider a quick service, nice fresh oil will make starting easier in cold conditions, especially so with diesel engines.

Wiper blades

For around £10 they can make driving in bad weather so much easier, no more smeared windscreens when it’s dark and raining. Wiper blades are easy to change on most cars but places like halfords will fit them while you wait for a couple of pounds.

Warm clothes.

Okay so this is probably obvous in winter but if you do happen to breakdown or get stuck in the snow you may find waiting for the recovery companies takes a while and with the engine switched of a cars internal temperature will fall quickly, why not put that picnic blanket back in the boot? or becoming popular now are ceramic heaters, these cost £10 - £25 and are powered from a cig lighter socket, instant heat ( or cooling) great for demisting or di-icing windows in a morning.

Phone charger

Again another cheap and handy item that could be a life saver, get a in car phone charger if you havn’t got one already, imagine breaking down in a strange area or rural location with a flat phone battery, also many of the motoring organisations can use the signal to pinpoint your location.

A final thought is to keep the fuel tank full, you could end up on a long detor or stuck in slow traffic for hours because of road closurers, some people also carry a small can in their boot if they are planning a longer journey.

This just in from the RAC regarding rural roads and the impact of the last two winters.

RURAL ROADS IN DANGER FROM SPENDING CUTS FOLLOWING TWO SEVERE WINTERS

• RAC survey indicates that 10 in 11 rural councils questioned¹ have not completed repairs required after last winter’s severe weather.
• Shortages in funding and higher levels of damage are highlighted as the main reasons why repairs have not been carried out.
• Spending cuts of up to 40% mean the UK faces years of poorly maintained roads and winter pothole damage.

A straw poll of 20 UK councils by RAC indicates that roads in rural areas have been hardest hit by last winter’s severe weather, with councils still struggling to deal with the backlog of repairs ahead of this winter.

Many councils are also worried by the implications for the road network of this week’s Comprehensive Spending Review, which they believe could see transport budgets reduced, as part of local government budget cuts, by up to 40%. They fear this will result in a spiral of deteriorating road conditions which could be both damaging and potentially dangerous for the UK’s motorists. While this is a worry for councils in all areas, it is particularly of concern for rural councils where the road network is often the only means of transport in more remote areas.

Ten out of the 11 rural councils² questioned reported that not all necessary road repairs had been carried out since the ‘Big Freeze’ last winter, while 75% of urban councils say this is the case. Of the councils whose repairs had not been completed at the time of the survey, just over 20% expected the repairs to be completed by the start of this winter.

The research also showed many councils had budget deficits as a result of road spending due to last winter’s damage, with individual shortfalls of up to £10 million. They fear they are running out of time to make repairs before another winter, leaving the road network vulnerable to further structural weakening.

The results of this survey highlight the views of motorists from the 2010 RAC Report on Motoring3 with 88% believing their local roads are getting noticeably worse.

A spokesperson for one rural council in England said: “Two severe winters in a row have taken a severe toll on our highway network with record numbers of potholes reported and highway maintenance increasingly on the agenda.

“The local highway network will continue to decline, more and more roads will fall into disrepair and reactive costs (potholes) will continue to climb reducing further the resources available for preventative maintenance.”

A spokesperson at a rural council in Wales said: “We are hopeful that MPs will be aware of the need for a fully functional network. Roads are a lifeline in this kind of area.”

A spokesperson for a rural council in Scotland said: “[Filling potholes] is part of our annual plan for maintenance. This has increased from £5.96 million to £6.26 million. This small increase will not be sufficient to pay for the frost damage repairs. This is not the whole story because pothole filling or patching is not sufficient to repair many of the frost damaged roads, which require resurfacing.”

Adrian Tink, RAC Motoring Strategist said: “The latest ALARM4 survey advised that £9.5 billion is needed to bring the roads up to scratch, and that is in England and Wales alone. We are in difficult times, and I appreciate that spending cuts have to be made, but the long term impact of this could be terrible for the UK’s road users, particularly those in rural areas where roads are a lifeline.

“UK motorists pay an annual total of around £49 billion in motoring taxes, yet they face years of potholes and poorly maintained roads damaging their vehicles and drastically reducing road safety.”

Categories: Market News, Motoring Industry
Tags: Car Breakdown Advice, Ceramic Car Heater, De-icer, Motoring Tips, Screenwash, Winter Motoring Advice.