Winter Driving Tips from Protyre

Old Man Winter’s seasonal visit is upon us, and arriving with him are the year’s most loathsome driving conditions. With snow predicted in the coming days, Protyre has delivered a couple of timely tips to help keep control in difficult driving conditions:

Driving in slippery conditions requires skilful and delicate use of the vehicle controls, steering, brakes and accelerator. In these conditions accelerate and brake very gently.
Use the vehicle’s gears to help reduce speed smoothly.

Drive in as high a gear as possible to avoid unnecessary wheelspin.

If a vehicle is stuck in snow or ice, do not excessively spin the wheels as this can result in damage to the tyres or even cause a tyre to burst.

If the car gets into a slide keep off the brake, clutch and the accelerator until the vehicle is back under control.

Always keep well clear of other vehicles and try to anticipate what is happening.

Undertake regular tyre checks for pressures, tread depth and general condition.

One myth that Protyre’s experts are keen to dispel is that you should reduce tyre pressure for driving in snow. This can be dangerous. For best traction in these conditions, all tyre pressures should be maintained at the manufacturer’s recommended pressures. And finally, always listen to the weather forecast and traffic reports and do not travel if the police or motoring organisations advice against it.

Free tyre safety checks are being provided by all Protyre outlets. Most of the company’s 38 outlets will be open for business over the Christmas/New Year period, but understandably closed on Christmas Day and New Year’s Day.