Despite not living in London, I certainly know the difficulties faced on some of the busiest roads such as New Kings road when commuting around to meetings. Congestion is something that we’ve all faced in our lives all across the UK. It’s been reported that Londoners spend an average of 74 peak travelling hours sitting in queues every year. So it’s all the more important to ensure our cars are working well in these colder conditions. You could say that tyres are the fundamental part of making sure that we’re equipped for the circumstances on the busy roads. As lack of attention to your tyres if they’re neglected can result in over inflation or under inflation, increasing fuel consumption and the risk of bad tyres causing accidents on the road – so it’s important to make sure you head to reliable car servicing.
Tips Before Driving
So just before you jump into the car, there is a few to-do’s before speeding off into the sunrise!
Check your tyres for any lodged leaves, and while you’re at it always make sure the tread is topped up to at least 1.6mm – you don’t wanna be sliding all over the roads with old tyres. Make sure you get them checked out regularly, sites like DAT Tyres are great as you can book cheap car tyres online in London and get a complete car servicing to sort you out for the entire season, money worth spending. Every driver should go for regular on time check ups to prevent hazard to you, family and friends. There’s so many risks of having bad tyres, so it’s always worth making sure that you have the correct tyres suitable for the conditions you’re in. As for an example your fuel efficiency would suffer, so spending a little money can make a vast difference over a long period of time. Whilst also if the pressure is not correct, then there is more chances of the vehicle flipping over in an accident. As the likelihood of accidents on the road increases if your car doesn’t have enough grip. During the autumn, winter months this can increase the chances of hydroplaning, less grip equates to a car being unmanageable and leading to spinning on the road. The balder the tyre, the more slip on wet roads.
The car is also at risk of having more sudden blowouts, as there’s less surface to preventing punctures on the roads. Tyres that have more tread and grip have less chances of resisting a sudden puncture – which makes all the difference, particularly in circumstances on the motorway.
Clean off your windscreen both on the inside and outside so your car doesn’t create a mist when you decide to put the heaters on.
Top up your antifreeze, it’ll keep the engine from freezing over – it’s Britain where incredibly unpredictable weather reigns supreme!
Replace your windscreen wipers. If you notice them starting to squeak then they probably need replacing. You’ll notice a massive difference when it rains and your vision when on the road.
Tips for when you’re driving
As the sun is coming up from a late autumnal sunrise, it can be powerful and glaring so be sure to keep sunglasses at hand and make full use of your sun visor.
Watch out for any fallen leaves that have hit the roads. The roads surrounding my area can build up incredibly quick as I live close to a park, and on the outskirts of rural areas. It’s amazing how the wind can blow so many leaves in your direction. As you go further into the Wirral and Cheshire, the roads get windier and more rural which can cause dangerous swerving if not taken seriously. The best advice is to allow more room for a car in front of you, just in case they need to make a halt.
Likewise with rain, the sun isn’t around to evaporate large puddles, some of them are extremely deceptive around Cheshire so take extra caution should always be taken to ensure safe driving in adverse weather conditions as the rain could freeze over and become slippery ice.
Now that the summer has completely tailed off you’ll be using your lights more frequently, so do get them checked out regularly, this also includes your fog lights, as it’s better to be safe than sorry, and if you’re an unconfident driver in the dark take a little practice in areas that won’t cause chaos.
