Blog Post

Learning to Drive in Wolverhampton Snow

Just a few years ago snow hit Wolverhampton and caused traffic chaos.  With another extreme cold spell predicted, possibly lasting right through until March, we can expect Wolverhampton to be blanketed in snow once again.

So now is a good time to prepare for it and remind yourself of the safest ways to drive in the snow.

Learning to Drive in the Snow – Willenhall Town Centre

If you are only just beginning to learn to drive in Wolverhampton or have fairly recently passed your test, then the chances are that you haven’t yet experienced driving in snow at all.  Because, well, it’s been a few years since we’ve had any – enough to stick to the roads anyway.  And also, driving in snow is far more dangerous and unpredictable than normal driving conditions, so the warning is to only drive in the snow if it is absolutely necessary.

The problem is that it is possible to be caught unaware in a sudden snow blizzard and few people have experience of driving in snowy conditions, even after learning to drive and passing their test.  So – avoid driving if possible – but, it is essential that you do know what to do in these conditions.

Be Prepared for Driving in Snow

During any extreme cold weather spell you should make sure that your car is prepared.  Keep it well maintained and ensure enough fuel is in the tank to avoid unnecessary breakdowns.  Keep a cold weather kit of de-icer and an ice-scraper with you as you may need it to de-ice your locks.

You can be extra prepared with a torch, shovel, warm clothes and some food and drink just in case you do get stuck.

But, let’s hope that you don’t get stuck.  And there’s less chance of that happening if you’ve learned to drive with Homers, an experienced driving school, who can teach you all that you need to know.

Driving on a snowy or icy road is a very different experience to driving on the normal road surface.  Your tyres cannot get traction on the road.  Remember those safe stopping distances that you learned in order to pass your test?   In these conditions distances can be more than ten times that!  That’s no exaggeration.  You can experience putting your foot down on the brake and feeling no response from the car at all.

Here are some tips from the Wolverhampton Driving Team that can help:

 

• Try to accelerate gently but change to higher gears as quickly as possible – if you can pull away in second gear this will help.

• Try to maintain a slow but steady speed so that you are accelerating and braking as little as possible. Remain at a safe distance behind other road traffic.

• Anticipate bends or obstructions on the road ahead in plenty of time and slow the car right down before

• If you are going downhill try to slow the car by using low gears rather than relying on your brakes.

• If you feel your car starting to skid turn into the skid.

What does turning into the skid actually mean?  If you were to feel your car start to skid or slide to the left you should turn your steering wheel to the left.  This is a counterintuitive thing to do, but it allows your tyres to regain traction so that you can then recover steering control.

Don’t be embarrassed if you don’t feel confident to learning to drive in Wolverhampton snow, you can always ask for advice from Homers Driving School.  If more people do then we can avoid the snowy, gridlocked scenes of Wolverhampton in previous years and we will all be safer on the roads.

If you would like to learn to drive in Wolverhampton or would like more information on safe driving in the snow, call Homers Driving School on 0800 612 4897.

Click here to read the Highway Code rules for driving in icy and snowy weather.