The recent cold snaps in the UK have highlighted how important it is for both road users and road maintenance professionals to be prepared for adverse weather. Driving in the ice, snow and even heavy rain can be very hazardous, and while the UK is generally temperate, cold weather is something it’s important to take seriously.
There are many scenarios, particularly on ungritted roads and in vehicles that aren’t designed for challenging conditions, where the safest course of action is to forgo road travel entirely and rearrange your plans. In other situations, however, a combination of good road upkeep and careful driving can reduce the risks of adverse weather.
Factor One: Good Road Maintenance
As one of the UK’s leading road marking companies, we’ve played a pivotal role in many road maintenance projects and take pride in the fact that our work helps to keep people safe. General road safety measures such as comprehensive signage, good surfacing and clear markings are important in allowing road users to make the best decisions possible at all times, but they are particularly important in hazardous conditions.
For example, cat’s eye road studs are relied upon by drivers even more in the dark days of winter, and high friction road surfacing can help to compensate for the reduced grip caused by rain and ice. Measures beyond taking proper care to maintain the excellent standard of our roads, however, are necessary when cold fronts move in and motorists face freezing temperatures.
During very cold periods, local councils and National Highways endeavour to keep major roads navigable, prioritising key routes and motorways. The main means of doing so is through gritting, where rock salt is spread on the road using specialised vehicles and prevents the formation of ice. This works because salt on the road dissolves into separate sodium and chloride ions that disrupt the bonds between water molecules, and as the ions loosen hydrogen bonds, the ice melts into water.
For this to be most effective, vehicles need to pass over the grit to work it into the snow and ice, dissolving it into brine. However, gritting the roads stops working at -10°C – a temperature thankfully rarely seen in the UK!
Alongside this, organisations like National Highways have comprehensive severe weather plans in place, where fleets of workers and hundreds of weather stations monitor conditions and respond when people are in danger. Mishaps can escalate quickly in poor weather, and as was seen on the M25 this winter (where ice and snow caused overnight standstills), a lack of preparedness can cause profoundly unpleasant situations for motorists.
Factor Two: Careful Driving
Drivers of all kinds of vehicles have to proceed with caution when they are driving in icy conditions. On icy roads, tyre grip is hugely reduced and braking distances are much longer, while heavy snow and freezing rain can reduce visibility. Cars can also easily get stuck, especially on side roads or country lanes, which can be dangerous if you cannot walk to your destination and aren’t properly prepared with means to keep warm. Taken together, all this creates a particularly risky driving environment.
Drivers setting out in these conditions first need to ensure snow, ice and condensation are cleared from their windows, their lights are clean and their mirrors are clear. It’s advisable they use a service such as Google Maps to ascertain if there have been accidents or road closures on their proposed route, and plan alternatives should they run into problems. Having blankets, hot flasks, a shovel, a torch, a fully charged phone and a high-vis vest in the car is also important and can make a big difference to how quickly drivers can resolve issues they encounter, as well as their comfort and safety.
Once on the roads, drivers should keep to low speeds and leave ten times as much space as usual between themselves and the driver in front of them. Accelerating, braking, steering and changing gears as smoothly as possible can reduce the chance of skidding, and it’s important to avoid sudden actions that might lead to a loss of control. Drivers should also look well ahead for potential hazards, especially as other drivers may run into difficulties that cause knock-on effects.
As with many things in life, taking a “plan for the worst, hope for the best” approach when setting out in bad weather can be a good way to minimise potential stress and the chance of something going wrong. When drivers work in tangent with the relevant agencies to keep Britain’s roads safe and drivable in freezing temperatures, together we can ensure that we keep everyone out of harm’s way.
