The weather folk predicted snow this month but at least down here in Plymouth and the South West we seemed to have escaped it for now. It’s early days yet as far as the winter is concerned so there is still every reason to be prepared when making journeys in the snow.
It’s reassuring to know that many of the new cars on the market are fitted with some incredible safety features to minimise the chance of difficulty in poor weather, for example, the new Nissan Note has Safety Shield Technology which monitors for obstacles around the full 360 degrees of the vehicle and the new Fiat Panda 4 x 4 features technology to focus power on wheels with the most friction in the event of a slip.
Even these advanced features can’t always stop you getting into difficulty when driving in winter or in bad weather, so of course if you can avoid venturing out in the snow then you should.
For those times when it just can’t be helped the experts at the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents (RoSPA) have some great tips for what to carry in your car with you to help see you through until help arrives.
- Tow rope
- A shovel
- Boots
- Hazard warning triangle
- De-icer/scraper
- First aid kit
- Torch – make sure it’s working!
- A blanket
- Extra clothes
- Fully charged mobile phone – again check it’s working!
- Flask with hot drink
Here at Vospers blog we had a chat about it and most of us agreed that a decent packet of chocolate biscuits would also help keep morale high during the stress of being stuck in the snow. A high-visibility vest is also a good idea in miserable conditions.
What do you carry in case of emergency?
