Winter Driving Hazards
It is an understatement that the Irish Winter is unpredictable. Weather conditions can change very
quickly from good to bad and often the best advice when there are severe weather conditions is to
simply follow the Irish Meteorological Service Weather Warnings and stay off the roads.
During winter months we expect adverse climatic conditions and we can change the way we drive to
reduce the risk of an accident. However many motor vehicle accidents are blamed on poor weather
conditions and research has shown that we do not in fact change the way we drive as much as we
should during poor weather. The main cause of accidents in winter therefore is not the poor weather
but poor driving, driving attitude and lack of respect of the prevailing weather.
Snow and Ice
• A third of all vehicle accidents occur when the roads are wet or frozen.
• Frost, ice or snow on the roads will reduce the grip of tyres. This means you are much more likely
to skid and it can take 10 times further to stop than on a dry road.
If the road is wet, stopping distance doubles immediately. The faster you travel, the longer it takes to
stop. The safest way to prevent skidding and reduce stopping distances is to slow down. Drive with
respect of the present climatic conditions and brake evenly and gently within plenty of time.
How can you avoid skidding?
Skidding is caused by harsh control of a vehicle; harsh braking, acceleration or
steering. However research has proved that excessive speed is the root cause of the
majority of skidding vehicles. The best way of avoiding skidding therefore is simply
to slow down.
If you do skid the basic advice is to take your feet off all the pedals until the wheels grip again. If you
do apply a harsh braking technique you risk locking the wheels and losing control of the vehicle.
Gentle braking will reduce the possibility of the wheels locking. If they do start to lock, using a
technique called cadence (pumping the brake pedal on and off) helps to keep wheel lock to a
minimum. This is the principal of ABS (Antilock Braking System). If ABS is fitted to your vehicle the
system will automatically produce the cadence breaking technique when harsh breaking occurs.
Keep Yourself Informed
Keeping yourself informed of the up to date road and weather conditions is easily obtainable through
radio, TV, local meteorological offices and the internet.
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