Risk factors when driving: snow and ice

When the snow is falling, there is one big problem - it is hard to see far infront. So like fog, reduced visibility is the problem with snow. And when there is heavy snowfall it can be very hard to see any distance at all.

You should use dipped headlights even in daylight to help you see and other road users be aware of your presence too. If snow is on the windscreen then you might need to get out of the vehicle and remove it. It is important to do this in heavy snow before it settles down and is impossible to remove.

Drive sensibly and as with fog you should slow down and increase the gap between yourself and the car in front; this is because with reduced visibility you will have less time to react to anything untoward therefore by driving more slowly and increasing the gap you help to compensate and get that necessary time gap back.

Another point to note is that it makes sense to check your brakes periodically are still workiny by testing them gently, because the braking can be affected if snow gets in to the brake linkages.

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