Travel

Winter brings both beautiful winter sceneries and treacherous travel conditions. Even though bad travel conditions will be upon us sometime during the winter season, many are still taken by surprise. Preparation is half the battle, so take your time sorting out your car before it's too late.

When you're out on the roads, let the weather and roads determine how you drive. Take your time and don't try and overtake gritters or snow ploughs. Chances are the road will be worse on the other side!

Preparation

Remember to put anti-freeze in the radiator of your car.

To keep your windows clean, add a winter additive to your windscreen wash to prevent it from freezing.

Make sure your tyres have the correct amount of air in them and that they have plenty of tread depth.

Invest in an overall service of your car to find and rectify any problems.

Pack an emergency pack which contains:
Ice scraper and de-icer
Torch
Warm clothes and blanket
Food and drink
Boots
First-aid kit
Battery jump leads
Spade - to dig your car out of snow

When driving ...

If you have to drive in really bad weather, plan your journey by checking the route for delays. Also, check the weather forecast and keep listening to local radio travel and weather updates when you are in the car.

Even though roads may look fine, be prepared that it can take ten times longer to stop when it is icy, so allow more room to slow down and stop. According to the Highways Agency "the best way to brake without skidding is to get into a lower gear earlier, let your speed go down, and brake gently."

In the event where you might start to skid, take your foot off the accelerator and don't brake suddenly.

If you can, avoid sudden braking, acceleration and sharp turns.

Reduce your speed - you'll get there eventually.

If you get stuck in bad conditions, stay with your vehicle until help comes. If you leave your vehicle, it might get in the way of snowploughs, ambulances and other emergency services.

Put on your warmest clothes and keep having drinks.

If you have to leave your vehicle to get help, make sure other drivers can see you and tell other people where you are going.

When cycling ...

Leaving the car behind and getting on your bike might seem crazy, but if you will be travelling on roads that are ploughed and gritted, chances are you might be able to make it better on a bike than in a car.

Wear a helmet and high visibility clothing.

Use roads that have been gritted and stay on the allocated cycle paths. Be careful of cobbled streets as they might be more slippery than they look.

Be prepared for slippery surfaces when braking and plan your braking path.

When walking ...

If you are able to walk to where you have to be, remember that precautions should be taken even then. They might be fairly straight forward, but it's worth bearing in mind.

Wear gloves. That way you're not putting your hands in your pockets for warmth and in the event of a slip, you're better prepared to catch yourself. If you really want to make sure you are safe when walking, invest in some wrist-guards used by skaters.

Wear boots with a rubber sole. They might not be 100%  anti-slippery, but it'll be better than high heels and other hard-soled shoes.

Keep listening to BBC Radio Cumbria for up-to-date travel and weather updates. If you experience any travel problems, give the Travel Hotline a ring on 0800 0725207.