Some quick winter driving tips

Among all the seasons, winters requires the utmost care and preparation during driving if you want to stay safe and avoid any kind of road breakdown. We see more breakdown at this season, the number of breakdowns usually got doubled therefore the patrols on the calls get doubled during winter season. The snow and ice strikes make the road conditions really challenging for a drive.

Here are some of the general tips for safe and secured driving in the cold, while having the dark months ahead. 

• Battery and electrics – The heaters, lights and wipers put a really high demand on the car battery. If your driving trips consist of the dark rush-hour trips , then your battery will give out eventually. 

 

• Batteries do not last more than five years, you can replace the battery at the end of its life in order to save time and avoid inconvenience at the side of the road. It's better to avoid running electrical systems in the car than necessary, the best thing is for slower down the heater fan and switch the heater’s rear window off when the windows are clear. 

 

• If the car has left idle most of the weekend, then a regular overnight trickle is best for giving the battery a chance to revive. Before starting the engine, always turn off the non-essential electrical loads such as lights and screen heaters. 

 

• The use of the starter has to be in short five second bursts if the engine is unable to start quickly, let the battery recover for about 30 seconds and then attempts again.

 

• Always keep the windscreen and the other windows clear, it will cause you a hefty fine if your vision is obscured through dirt or snow. Avoid using sticker infested car window as well. Accumulation of clear snow from the roof can be fall off on the windscreen which can block your view. It can be dangerous to the other road users as well. 

 

• Assure that the windscreen is clear from both inside and the outside as well, in order to improve the vision. The chips, scratches and abrasion on the outer side of the windscreen can also cause the dazzling effect of the sun.

 

• Always use air conditioning to reduce the condensation on the cold windows and faster demisting as well. During winters, check if the windscreen wipers are working and replace if required. 

 

• Use a windscreen washer fluid which will be a suitable additive to reduce the chance of freezing, the ordinary engine anti freezer can damage the paintwork so try to avoid using it on the windscreen.

 

• Always wear comfortable and dry shoes while driving because the snow covered shoes or the wet shoes will slip on the pedals. 

 

• To avoid the wheel-spin, try to pull away in second gear while easing your foot off the clutch.

If you got stuck anywhere then first straighten the steering and whip the snow from the wheels. To give some grip to the tyres, put a sack rug in front of the driving wheels and try not to stop until you reach a firmer ground. All these skills and precautionary measures are taught in the best driving school in Sydney to assure the safety of the driver on the road.

Interesting driving facts

Driving is the part of our daily routine, but it has some of the interesting facts as well. Lets have a look on them

• An average human being spends almost two weeks of their entire life watching at red lights.


• The speeding tickets were first issued in 1902; most of the cars have hardly reached 45mph.


• The Ford GT car has actually so strong that it had broken the crushing machine during “Roof Crush” test.


• Australia has now outside the top ten OECD countries for road accident fatality rate. The safest country is Sweden, Netherlands and United Kingdom.


• Since 2000, the road accidents are the third most common cause of death.


• 50 % of the crashes involved around 10% of drivers.


• 20% of the crashes are due to fatigue


• Up to 90% of crashes are occurring due to the performance and behavior of the driver as averse to driving conditions and road structures.


• 50% of the teenage driver to more likely to involved in a car crash if they are travelling with another teenage friend.


• A 2 star car has now doubled the accidents / injury risks of the 5 A cars.


• Drivers of the learner license will be having 80 % safe drive if they are driving 5 star cars, which will be 20 % less road accident fatalities.


• Wire rope barriers and bitumen on the roadside with some of the ripple strips can decrease 60% - 90 % of the serious injuries.


• Sweden has the speed limit of 70 kmph instead of 100 kmph.

• Almost 89 % of all the new drivers after taking their driving license get into at least one crash during their first 5 years of driving, to minimize the risk of crashes assure to have an official  driving training from a driving school Kingsford and cheap driving school.


• $ 800 is the average cost of a collision settlement by the jury awarded by Allstate Insurance


• About 80% of all the collisions and near misses are due to driver inattention in the 3 seconds just before the things went wrong.


• Half of the road fatalities happened at less than 35 mph speed impact


• 10 % of the roads more than 80 % of the traffic in a typical city


• Around 10 % to 70 % of the people are looking for parking in urban traffic


• People who have their apartments on the streets with more traffic outside are likely to have fewer friends and they go less outside.


• Saturday at 1 p.m. is the heaviest traffic hour than any other weekday rush hour.


• Around 350 people die every year by entering the wrong way onto the freeway. Almost 50 people kill by the cars in the driveways


• Highways can handle more cars at the speed limit of 55 mph than 80 mph 


• When the roads are closed due to construction, traffic on the other nearby roads are decreasing instead of increasing.