IAM Advises How To Prepare Your Car For Winter

IAM chief examiner Peter Rodger said: “Now is the time to give your car a
health-check before winter conditions take their toll. Bad weather can strike
quickly, and more severely than you expect, so it’s really important to be ready.”

Rodger suggests some easy tips to prepare your car for winter:

In a UK winter you are more likely to encounter wind and rain, so make sure your
windscreen wipers are in good condition and that you clean the inside of the
windscreen regularly

Do a proper check of your vehicle - particularly the tyres - top up your washer
fluid and make sure last year’s ice scraper and de-icer are up to the job

The legal minimum for tyre tread in the UK is 1.6mm, but for optimum safety start
looking for replacements if the depth is below 3mm

Check all your lights

Pack an emergency kit, including a warm coat, high visibility jacket, some food
and water, a good pair of boots, de-icer and scraper, a torch, a spade and a
mobile phone with a well-charged battery. Remember to store your emergency
breakdown number.

Rodger said: “Many roads are still pot-holed after last winter so having a
well-maintained car, and paying particular attention to your tyres, is going to be
extremely important.”

To help drivers stay safe this winter, the IAM has launched a new website,
drivingadvice.org.uk, with traffic updates, weather forecasts and tips on how to
drive safely in winter.


Tips cover rain, snow, ice, fog and wind – everything you can expect in a typically
unpredictable British winter. Check it out before you travel.