Mersey Reporter - Merseybites News

UK car insurer Admiral has issued advice for drivers headed of the predicted:- "polar vortex" that could emerge cold weather from the North Pole across parts of the UK, over the coming few days. This predicted weather had led to the Met Office issuing a:- 'Yellow Weather Warning' for parts of the UK.

Lorna Connelly, Head of Claims at Admiral Insurance, said:- “With the Met Office warning issued ahead of snow and ice, we’re urging drivers to act with caution when heading out on the roads over the coming days. When the weather is particularly bad, ask yourself if a journey is essential. The increase in hybrid working means that many of us may not have to drive to work, but have the option to work from home instead. If your journey isn’t urgent, consider whether you could delay travelling until the weather improves. A snow and ice weather warning will see additional challenges for motorists. We’ve all been there; rushing to start our journey and then finding that our car is frozen over so we blast the heating in the car while we run around trying to find the de-icer or ice scraper. But whatever you do, never abandon your car with the engine running and keys in the ignition. Stationary idling is an offence under section 42 of the Road Traffic Act 1988 and could leave you with a £20 fine and could even invalidate your insurance if an opportunistic car thief makes off with your vehicle. If you’re manually removing any ice, don’t risk using boiling water or scrape the ice off using your bank card. Boiling water can crack your windscreen which could cause your car to fail its MOT if it’s within your eyeline.”

Admiral has shared its tips for driving during snow:-

Firstly, make sure the journey in the car is absolutely necessary – if you can avoid driving on snow, do so.
Be prepared – Make sure you’ve carried out basic maintenance on your car, including checking your windscreen wiper blades are fully functional and clearing your screen correctly. It’s also vital to check that your tyres are roadworthy. Driving with illegal tyres is dangerous, and could land you with a £10,000 fine (£2,500 per tyre) and up to 12 points on your licence. Having illegal tyres could also affect an insurance claim if the tyres were attributed to the cause of the accident.
A good checklist of equipment to stock up on should include:- a good shovel, an ice-scraper, a demisting pad, spare screen wash, plenty of de-icer, a phone charger, a map, and a big square of carpet for your tyres to grip on to should you get stuck in the snow.

Please remember... While driving, the Highway Code advises driving slowly in as high a gear as possible, and braking and accelerating gently!

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