Now that towns and councils use less thawing salt on the roads in winter, motorists have to change their way of thinking. Here are a few tips to help you avoid skidding on slippery roads early in the morning on your way to work:

• Check the weather report the night before. If the forecast is for snow, allow for traffic jams and delays and set off earlier. Travelling by public transport is a safe alternative.
• Clear any snow or ice from all the car windows; if you only clear a small area to see through, you may well be partially at fault in the case of an accident.
• Check in the rear mirror and as soon as traffic conditions allow, test the brakes. That way you know what the road conditions are like.
• Don't use back streets through quiet residential areas. These are always the last to be cleared, if at all.
• Leave plenty of distance at traffic lights and junctions. Keep a careful watch on the vehicles ahead of you.
• Avoid braking just before the junction. It is often extremely slippery here.
• Take care when driving over bridges! In the winter, they can be treacherously slippery, because they are exposed to the cold from above and below. On cold days fog may settle as ice and make the road surface very slippery.

Days when the temperature varies around freezing point are very critical, because the constant thawing and freezing means the road surface keeps changing. A layer of ice at freezing point is slippier than during a harsh frost, because an additional film of water is able to form.