Latest News
09.02.12 - WINTER DRIVING
'Don't panic'! The unforgettable order from Captain Mainwaring to Corporal Pike in Dad's army. It never worked of course, because it is impossible to not communicate and the only thing this exhortation communicates is the word 'panic'. And when driving in snow and ice, to panic is to crash. So the words expert drivers communicate to motorists is 'get a grip'. Not a white knuckle one on the steering wheel but a grip by your tyres on the road. The secret to safe winter driving is to keep the wheels turning, so your tyres ultimately find some surface they can hold on to. Then with grip you have control.
Too many drivers at this time of year lose their no-claims bonus because the instant they feel their vehicle beginning to skid and slide, they stop breathing, slam on the brakes and throw all control to the Arctic winds and their last known direction of momentum. It is a natural reaction, It is the intuitive thing to do. It is also the worst possible reaction. The correct thing to do when you feel the 'oversteer' happening, this the rear of your car coming around to spin you, take your foot off the gas, turn the steering wheel into the direction of the skid. This is the only way to keep your forward momentum until the wheels find friction and the road grip you need to get back into control.
Best of all of course is to prevent the skid in the first place, by only driving at a speed from which your vehicle can be brought under control again, should it start to skid. It is an attitude of mind. Repeat ,in your inner voice ten times, these words 'get a grip'. And do it before every journey in winter conditions. Keep it safe and keep it cheap.
If you are going to make a copy of this news article please leave in a live link to http://www.lease-hire.co.uk
