Essential Tips and Emergency Kit for Winter Driving Safety

This article is about the perils of winter driving conditions and what essential supplies, equipment or precautions you should arguably think about.

I say arguably because I don't want to preach and neither do I want an argument over it.

What you do in the privacy of your own car is entirely up to you. Just don't expect me to dig you out.

Although my mind is focussed on winter driving dangers - blocked roads, cold, that sort of thing - I think some elements of these precautions are applicable to any unexpected interruption to your smooth driving progress from A to B.

Apart from maybe the snow shovel.

I mean there's only one real use for one of those.

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The problem with a modern car is that it insulates us so well from the outside world.

You can leave your heated house in a t-shirt, drive through a winter storm, and arrive at your heated destination without really feeling what the weather is out there.

It’s not until you need to dig your way out of a snow drift, or stay overnight in a lay-by that the idea of dashing out without any preparation at all seems a little, how shall we say, stupid.

I know this because I have done it.

Probably my ‘best’ effort was doing twenty miles at 4am in freezing fog on a scooter wearing a t-shirt.

Even when you are young… and stupid… that cold tends to sting a bit.

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Here’s some of my basic ideas, no real cost, just a bit of common sense.

Bearing in mind the typical car is full of crap – maybe it’s worth adding some that might be useful. Without over dramatising it - it might save your life or stop you being cold anyway.

It is perfectly reasonable to leave the house in a t-shirt and expect to arrive, secure and warm, at your destination similarly attired.

And for that true macho man about town look, it is essential.

No one cares what you look like when you are trapped on a road somewhere, either due to weather conditions or someone who can’t drive totalling themselves or someone else.

When winter starts put an old coat, hat, scarf, gloves and wellington boots in your car.

Leave them there.

An old blanket is a good idea too.

Now I know that you and I are NEVER going to wrap ourselves in a blanket like some crusty pensioner, but you might get the chance to be a hero and lend it to someone else.

If you have to be cool, get one of those space age silver things and look like a Thanksgiving turkey / New Ager.

Yes, I know. You can just get a burger if you’re peckish, right?

Let’s assume the worst has happened, and you are stuck for twenty minutes without eating.

All right, I’m just joking with you – let’s say several hours.

I won’t go on about energy levels and rehydration, well OK, I’ve mentioned it now – but it’s obvious.

A couple of those decent quality snack bars that keep for years and a two litre bottle of water should help. Maybe some quails eggs. Not essential though.

A tin or two of high energy caffeine drink might be good too, if you are inching along for hours in some endless queue.

Not too sure how to put this. Urination.

It’s not always possible to nip out of the car, across a field and find a place behind a tree – or even better – a toilet I suppose.

So along with your two litre bottle of water, a couple of empty bottles is good. Why two? You might have a weak bladder or a passenger.

Great way to get to know someone, peeing into a bottle on a car journey.

For ladies, get one of those she pee things. Easy to use - as recommended by a friend.

I haven’t tracked down anything for a more serious, wee jobby, and for most people carting around a chemical toilet is out of the question.

So that does mean the field trip. Take a toilet roll.

Incidentally, in a real emergency or maybe just for the experience, some people drink their own wee. Yeah. I know. You first.

Try to maintain a full tank of fuel. I am one of those who take a positive delight in seeing just how close to empty I can get before filling up again, it’s one of the few excitements in my life, but it is definitely stupid in bad conditions.

Well, any conditions if I am honest.

So keep topped up.

Similarly, make sure you have your mobile phone and it is kept fully charged.

I’m not the mechanic type. The reason why the car does what it does is largely of no interest to me.

There are some simple and essential minor maintenance tasks for winter driving that near enough anyone can achieve.

Antifreeze in the radiator. Check your levels or get the garage to do it before the cold season.

Check your own screen wash levels and keep a bottle in the house for topping up. It’s surprising just how much you can get through following a lorry for a few miles in slushy conditions.

If you don’t wash the car every Sunday then the least you should do is wipe the lights with a soapy cloth once in a while. Apparently six months worth of dirt can affect head and taillight visibility.

I am putting these bits in order of importance and likelihood of requirement.

So this section is less likely to be used, but you still might want to be prepared.

A decent torch. With batteries or charge. When stumbling around that field looking for a good toilet place a torch might be handy.

A window breaking tool. This is like a pointy hammer, which can apparently break a car window quickly and easily. Either you can get yourself out of your own car in an emergency, or help others to get out of theirs.

Warning triangle, road safety tape, flashing light thing – and so on. You can get kits from Amazon that contain everything you are ever likely to need.

Personally I don’t think I’ll bother. But if you are interested then why not buy one before you need it - rather than afterwards?

I bored myself into submission.

The main things I have found useful in previous driving difficulties have been clothes and food.

So far, I have been lucky and not had one of those all nighters that you read about – where cars are stuck for hours.

I also don’t travel around with a car of screaming kids anymore.

You’d probably need a whole lot of other stuff too if that’s the case.

Earplugs at least, maybe a good whisky.

Happy, and safe, winter driving!

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