Kill that Winter car feeling
There is nothing is worse than that cold, winter car feeling, when you get into your car en route to work sitting there rubbing your hands trying to keep warm.
Driving when you are really cold can be a little dangerous as you won’t have full control over your reactions etc. So it’s important to make sure you get rid of that cold winter car feeling before taking off.
If you find the idea of getting up to a pitch black sky at daft o’clock, then you won’t be too keen of sitting in the car waiting for it to heat up, either!
So what can you do to make your commute to work a little more enjoyable and a little less frozen?
Remote Starters
You might think this winter car warmer is just for James Bond, but remote car starters are dirt cheap and hugely common these days.
Your car engine can take a little while to get up to running speed in the colder months, so giving it a few minutes to warm up while you finish off your coffee can be really helpful. Although this is a theft hazard in some parts of the world, it’s a really useful way to stop the cold really taking over your journey. Just check the legality of it all first.
Spare Heat Clothing
Blankets, big jackets and other useful clothing in the back of your car (hidden, again you don’t want to entice any thieves) can be a logical winter car warmer. To help you heat up in the mornings, why not simply try putting on a few of these clothes as a winter car warmer.
Work From Home
Winter car warmer
I say why go into a cold car if you don’t have to?
Many businesses allow their staff to work from home, and why not? It’s more enjoyable for you, it stops you messing you around at work, and if you don’t have something tangible to show for the end of the day then you’ll be in serious trouble with the boss anyway! So for a winter car warmer why not simply kick back and relax at home instead of heading into work!
Heated Car Seats
Winter car warmer
Ah, the winter car warmer dream!
Heated car seat can be very cost-effective winter car warmer. You can find them online and in car stores all across the place. Please be aware, though, that they can be pretty sore to sit on if you don’t turn them down – it works kind of like a toaster, so be prepared to turn them off when they get a little too warm!
These simple winter car warmer tips should get you moving in the mornings. There’s no need to let your job become a drag – if you can work from home). But using these tip before traveling to work by car in the morning will help you to turn up nice and warm, certainly helping to make a day dealing with moody clients that much easier.
To health and vehicle happiness
Your fearless mechanic,
Phil.
Winter Driving Tips
Most drivers like to think they are the best in the game when it comes to driving. We spend hours upon hours in our vehicles so it’s understandable why this may induce some level of confidence.
Now I don’t want to put a downer on it, but during winter it’s very easy to overestimate our skills behind the wheel. And winter driving has a nasty habit of biting us where it hurts; hazards such as darkness, rain, fog, ice and dazzling sunshine only add to the danger.
The fact remains, winter driving brings with it accidents, so much so that research by the AA showed that during January 2010 when the UK was gripped by snow and ice, road accidents increased by almost 50% compared to the same period a year earlier.
Although road salters do their best to keep the roads safe, for some reason they always seem to be slow on the uptake when it comes to flash winter weather conditions, I guess like us, they too are also at the mercy of the weather gods.
Given that at the end of 2012 there were 34.5 million vehicles licensed for use on the roads in the UK, of which 28.7 million (83%) were cars, there is a high chance that you’ll find yourself encountering driving mayhem when the winter conditions strike.
Winter driving can be a challenge, so planning ahead and having the general winter driving “know how” and the skills necessary to get the better of what the winter wonderland may throw at you is a must.
The following winter driving tips will help you stay safe this winter.
Winter Driving Tips
Commonsense
Now this may sound like common sense but… the best way to stay safe in bad weather is to stay off the roads and use alternative means of travel. So before you travel, consider whether your journey is necessary.
Plan Ahead
Fail to plan, plan to fail. Yes, winter driving may also mean making an effort to plan ahead.
If you’re unsure of the weather forecast before you hit the road, take some time to look up the weather conditions. Check forecasts and traffic news, both local and national. There are numerous options out there to help you do this; a good mobile app to consider is perhaps the Met Office Weather App.
Are you fit to drive?
It’s easy to over estimate our ability to drive especially if we need to get somewhere urgently. But be practical, and make sure that medicine, alcohol, drugs, stress, tiredness or mobile phones will not impair your driving at any time of year, but especially during winter. Also it helps if you inform someone of your intended journey, route and time of arrival if you feel your health may be suspect.
PREPARING YOUR CAR FOR WINTER
Winter Driving Tips
One of the winter driving tips that you can roll out before facing our unpredictable UK winter is winterizing your vehicle.
Tyres
I know, I know you’ve heard it before, but come on… how may of you actually check your tyre treads before winter hits?
As I mentioned in the previous blog – Winter car checklist, makes sure your tyres have the suitable tread depth – the penny test is great for this. Tyre pressure goes down in the cold, so if left unchecked it will lead to poor control and possibly a host of other issues.
NB: Tyre tread depth should be at least 3mm to be safe in wet or icy conditions and tyres should be inflated to the pressure recommended by the manufacturer.
Snow Tyres
Although snow tyres are perhaps not required for everyone, a good winter driving tip especially if you live in an area known for heavy snow fall, is to consider putting some snow tyres on your vehicle at the start of the season.
Windshield Wipers and Fluid
If you’ve ever been behind a vehicle, or worse still… a lorry in the snow, with slush splashing up all over the windows, you’ll probably agree that driving in winter can at times come with challenging visibility issues.
Another one of those useful winter driving tips, is to replace your windscreen wipers at the start of the season. Believe you me, there is nothing worse than poor blades in bad weather so make sure your wiper blades function effectively. Oh… and don’t forget to top up with the applicable windscreen fluid.
Anti-freeze
Winter driving tips couldn’t be complete without the self-explanatory… but be sure to address… anti-freeze. Add anti-freeze to the radiator and winter additives to the windscreen washer fluid to prepare for winter driving.
Fuel
Ice in your fuel tank is by no means good but trust me, it can easily happen. A winter driving tip to prevent this from happening is to keep your fuel tank half full at all times to help prevent ice in your fuel lines and tank.
Winter Emergency Safety Kit
There can be many unforeseen eventualities when driving during the winter, so the following are a few emergency driving kit recommendations that will help you deal with winter conditions, and the possibility of your vehicle getting stuck in it.
To begin, a nice way to go about this, apart from making sure you have the obvious in your emergency kit, is to think about the main passengers that are likely to be traveling in your car and plan ahead for their specific needs.
Winter Driving Tips: Keep warm and snug in your vehicle
Blanket
Extra clothing
Wellington boots
Bottled water
Food: high energy, non-perishable
Two large containers with lids for melting snow and sanitation
Winter Driving Tips: Getting unstuck
Ice scraper
Salt
Flashlight
De-icer
Shovel
Sand/kitty litter
Winter Driving Tips: General car preparation
Handheld road map
Compass
First-aid kit
Warning triangle
High visibility vest
Winter Driving Skills
Although few and far between, there are a handful of winter driving schools devoted to specifically helping drivers learn and practice their winter driving skills.
If you’re interested, Prodrive has a pretty cool winter driving school, which looks like fun. So check it out, and if you decide to sign up, let me know how you get on!
To health and vehicle happiness,
Your fearless mechanic,
Phil.