Winter has made its arrival! With the temperatures dropping, and many across the UK experiencing frost and snow this week, it’s an important time to remember to be cautious when travelling on the road.
Winter can be a challenging time for road travel. Ice and snowfall can make the roads slippery and reduce visibility, while cold temperatures can affect a car's performance, such as reducing battery power and causing tire pressure to drop.
National Highways are using the acronym TRIP, to help you prepare for safer journeys this winter.
Top up – fill up fuel, check your oil and screen-wash, ensure you’re charged.
Rest – every 2 hours.
Inspect – your tyre tread and pressure.
Prepare – for the weather.
National Highways operate their winter service from October to early April each year, to help keep us safe on the road. To help keep the people of Britain on the move, they have 535 gritters and over 280,000 tonnes of salt stored and prepared at the start of each winter. The National Highways fleet operates 24 hours a day, working closely with weather forecasters to prepare for extreme conditions and keep road users safe.
This week is Road Safety Week, organised by the road safety charity Brake. They aim to raise awareness around road safety, and; “This year, we have put road victims at the heart of Road Safety Week. We want to raise awareness of the devastating toll of road crashes, and celebrate the work of the incredible people who support families after a road death or serious injury.”
It is so important that we work together to keep everybody in our networks safe this winter. National Highways ‘Road to Zero Harm’ is an initiative that they continue to work towards, creating a safer road network. National Highways states that “Achieving this vision will benefit the country, and the families and individuals whose lives continue to be affected by collisions on our roads.”
These initiatives of ‘Protecting your Network’ all contribute to the bigger picture of keeping everyone safe on the road. The safety vision of National Highways helps to ‘keep your network moving’ allowing you to get to your destination on time.
Are you travelling somewhere this winter? Stay informed and drive safe, let’s make our roads safer for everyone!