How to drive in snow, ice and cold weather

4. Pick the correct lights

Remember, you mustn’t use your fog lamps unless the visibility is very poor – rear fog lamps will dazzle other road users, and the effect is intensified when there is spray from melted snow coming out from the rear of the car. Front fog lamps have the same effect, but for cars ahead of you, especially when snow on the road is reflecting the light back up at them.

The Highway Code says that you should only use your fog lamps when the visibility drops below 100m. If you’re not sure when that is, a good rule of thumb is to work out whether you can see the tail lights of the car in front. If you can’t, you (and they) should be using rear fog lamps. However, if you can, you probably don’t need them.

Snow does not mean you need to use your main beam headlights any more or less often than you would normally. You shouldn’t leave them on when driving towards or behind other traffic, as it will dazzle those drivers.

If you’re in any doubt about which lights to use, put yourself in the position of other drivers around you. Ask yourself what your car looks like to them, whether they can see you and whether they might be blinded by any of your lights.

5. Keep your distance

Cast your mind back to your driving test, and you’ll remember that stopping distances increase in icy conditions. But can you remember by how much?

In actual fact, it can take as much as 10 times as long to stop on an icy road as it does on a dry one. If you can, you should increase the distance between you and the car you’re following by about that much.

A good rule of thumb is that you should be around 20 seconds behind the car in front of you if the road is icy. That way, if that car has to stop suddenly – or, worse still, crashes into a car in front – you will have time to stop, or take avoiding action.

To check you’re far enough away, watch for the car in front to pass an object – a lamp post, bridge or sign. Then count how many seconds go by before you pass the same object. If it’s under 20 seconds, you should back off and allow more space.

One of the main problems with this strategy is that not everybody is playing the same game. If you leave a 20-second gap between your car and the one in front, another car or van will probably try to fill that gap. Be aware of this and be prepared to give way to somebody driving antisocially.

6. Drive smoothly and gently

Driving in ice and snow isn’t just about leaving more space, though. It requires a very different driving style that relatively few people are aware of.

For starters, your use of all the controls – steering, accelerator and brake – should be as smooth, slow and progressive as you can make them. Abrupt changes in the car’s attitude will cause the tyres to lose what little grip on the road’s surface they have. That could lead to you skidding, spinning your wheels, or getting stuck before you’ve even pulled away.

In a manual car, move away slowly by slipping the clutch as gently as you can, keeping the engine revs low, and ensure you change gear early as you accelerate and late as you decelerate, again so that you keep the revs to a minimum. Lower revs mean the engine is turning more slowly, which reduces the risk of wheelspin.

If you’re driving an automatic or four-wheel-drive car, check to see whether it has a low-ratio mode. This can be indicated by a snowflake symbol or an ‘L’ on a switch near to the gear lever. If it has one of these, use it. You should avoid using Sport mode in an automatic car that’s so-equipped. Some automatic cars have a gearchange setting optimised for ice and snow, normally denoted by a snowflake icon; select this on ice and compacted snow.

At the same time, try to avoid using settings specifically for low-traction environments when driving on gritted or cleared tarmac. Certain mechanisms within the car could be put under undue strain when used in high-grip situations.

You should also try and avoid sudden manoeuvres that might unbalance the car, such as sharp steering or braking. Doing so increases the likelihood of your car skidding.

7. Learn how to deal with skidding

It is a good idea to gently test your brakes and steering now and again to get an idea of how slippery the road is. Obviously, you should pick a straight, clear piece of road away from any junctions, and make sure there’s nobody following you when you do so.

It’s also advisable to keep the volume of your radio turned down when driving on snow. Your ears can often give you the first warning that you’ve hit a slippery patch. Driving through snow patches will create more tyre noise than usual thanks to its crunching, as well as the roar of snow being kicked up into the wheel arches. Conversely, if the tyre noise suddenly goes quiet, that can mean you’re driving on a patch of ice.

If you hit a patch of slippery road and you feel the car start to skid, lift your foot off the accelerator and allow the speed to drop by itself until you regain control. Avoid using the brakes, as this will prolong the skid. If the car starts to spin while you are skidding, steer into the direction of the spin and allow the car to straighten up.