Preparing for a Freezing Winter
As the latest weather forecasts warn of possible snow here in the UK how ready 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. often are for intense winter weather. I shouldn’t generalise as people in Scotland tend to be better prepared than their soft southern cousins. Scotland tends to be better able to cope with intense wintery conditions as they experience some bad winter weather nearly every year.
One issue that arose early in 2009 wat that gritting trucks ran out of road grit. It has been said that this was due to local authorities not having enough funds. But it really boils down to inaccurate forecasting. While the south can experience periods of intensely bad winter weather they tend to be shortlived. There wasn’t enough grit to cope with the prolonged five weeks of snow.
But what do they do in countries like Sweden and Norway where snow lays on the ground for most of the winter?
Driving on compacted, icy, snowy roads is very dangerous. Not only as a result of slippery road surfaces but also due to poor visibility caused by snow, sleet and slush. Winter tyres are recommended as an absolute minimum.
Although they do grit their roads in Norway and Sweden this is usually concentrated on busy road junctions. Once you are away from the busy main town and city roads you’ll be driving mainly on compacted snow and ice. In these conditions it is important to travel slowly and make no sudden movements.Overaking is not wise when driving in these conditions.
A good set of winter tyres can be enormously beneficial. Winter tyres contain a small amount of silicone which helps them to remain flexible at low winter 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 option is snow chains, but it should be remembered that these are really only useful in snow and not much use on icy surfaces. And another option, which is good for icy road surfaces, is studded tyres.
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