West Mercia Police offer tips for driving in poor weather

Bromyard PCSO Toby Stephenson said there have been several crashes reported to West Mercia Police in recent weeks. "The weather has been pretty poor with ice and flood water," he said. "Herefordshire is also a very rural area and locally there has been a lot of mud, gravel and dirt on the lanes, all of which are making the roads very slippery.

"With this in mind we thought it would be a good time to send out a reminder and some tips around driving safely in the adverse conditions."

The police's tips for driving in bad weather are:

• First and foremost, take it slow, stopping distances are much further in these conditions so take your time (it's a speed limit not a target) and when conducting any manoeuvres take it easy and go gentle.
• Try not to slam the brakes on or use fast, jerking movements on the steering wheel.
• Before you set off on any journeys make sure you allow extra time firstly to prepare to go out as you may need to de-ice the car or let it de-mist, and secondly to get to your destination.
• Try to plan your route using major roads rather than side roads as these are more likely to have been gritted and made clear.
• Check your fuel, the last thing you want is to get stuck or unexpectedly delayed and then find you run out before you can get to your destination or a place to fill up.
• When you are out driving on the roads ease your foot off the clutch gently when pulling away and use your brakes gently, leave a larger gap so that you have more time to react.
• If you are driving in hilly areas, when going uphill leave a good gap between you and the car in front so that you have more chance of keeping a more consistent speed.
• That way you will not have to change gear as much and wont have to try to keep traction when starting to move on the hill.
• When coming downhill, again, leave a good gap and keep it in a lower gear rather than constantly having to tap the brakes and risk skidding into the car in front.