Research commissioned by esure car insurance projects that over 6 million UK drivers (20 per cent) have experienced an accident while driving in icy weather conditions. esure’s car insurance claims reflect this and rose by a massive 130,000 in November 2007 with the onset of winter weather.
The survey further revealed that 63 per cent of UK motorists would like to see smaller roads gritted more frequently and almost half of drivers (40 per cent) claim that their local council is not doing enough to ensure all roads are safe to drive on during icy conditions.
This lack of confidence by motorists in relation to the safety of local roads means that the vast majority (93 per cent) of motorists refuse to set out on a journey at all if they judge weather conditions to be too severe.
Furthermore, 42 per cent of motorists have admitted that they’ve been trapped in their own home because their street wasn’t cleared of snow or ice, making it unsuitable for them to drive.
And almost a third (31 per cent) of UK motorists are so worried about driving in adverse weather conditions that they would consider ’pulling a sickie’ to stay at home rather than get behind the wheel.
Top Safety Tips for Winter Motoring on Small Roads:
- Adjust your driving to the road and weather conditions: slow down and avoid sudden turns of the steering wheel, panic braking and over-zealous accelerating which could result in skidding on slippery roads
- If you do skid on an icy road, regain control of your vehicle by decelerating: release the brake pedal fully or ease off the accelerator. Turn the steering wheel in the direction of the skid. For example, if the rear of the vehicle skids to the right, steer immediately to the right to recover
- Be especially careful of shaded areas, such as roads under bridges, or under the shade of trees, as the surface freezes much faster than the rest of the road