Depending on where you are located in Australia, winter driving conditions can be extreme or fairly mild. However, no matter where you are driving, it does pay to recognise some of the potential problems.
Being prepared for winter conditions
Is your car due for a full service? If not, then it does pay to check some key parts that will be important to your safety if driving in poor conditions. Firstly, run a check on your lights – headlights and indicators – to make sure you can see and be seen. Secondly, check the tread levels on your tyres and the conditions of your brakes and pads.
Make sure your windscreen is clean at the start, and that your wipers are ready for sudden heavy-duty work. A final point that many people miss is checking window and door seals to ensure there won’t be any leaks.
Undertaking specific winter journeys
When the weather is generally fine in summer, it’s easy to forget to check your car for longer journeys. However, in winter, it really pays to do so. When driving in such circumstances, it’s worth remembering that driving up to the speed limit isn’t a requirement! Reducing your speed, even just by a few kph, can allow you the extra seconds to deal with sudden slips, slides, standing water and the like.
The same is true of the space between your vehicle and the one in front. Leaving those few extra metres allows for vital microseconds of thinking and reaction time.
Making the two adjustments mentioned above will allow you to both brake and turn that bit more slowly. Again, this gives you a chance to respond to unexpected conditions, especially when these are not instantly noticeable.
Not your fault accidents happen – even when you do take care
A final preparatory step – and one that’s valuable throughout the year – is to keep this phone number with you at all times: 1800699034. Should you have an accident thanks to the negligence of another driver, give us a call as soon as you can. Our team at Not My Fault offers Australia’s No.1 car accident replacement service. Under Australian Law, when not at fault, you are entitled to a replacement courtesy car. So, talk to our experts if you’re involved in a not your fault accident.
