Worried about road safety this winter? Chill out with cold weather tyres

With the number of accidents caused by adverse road conditions increasing by 267% in winter months, a few simple precautions can help keep us safer on the roads.

Last year, the UK experienced temperatures from +30�C to -15�C. Given such diverse and potentially dangerous weather conditions, it's unrealistic to expect one type of tyre to provide a consistent level of tyre safety throughout the year. With this in mind, Continental designs special cold weather car tyres to give the best possible performance whilst also improving winter driving safety.

Why cold weather car tyres?

Cold weather tyres contain more rubber than summer tyres, which helps to minimise the rubber-hardening effect caused when temperatures drop below 7�C (experienced throughout the UK between October and March). This gives them the extra grip required when cold, wet or icy conditions set in.

As a result, cold weather tyres provide significantly shorter stopping distances as the temperature drops, while at the same time being just as quiet and comfortable as normal car tyres.

As well as fitting cold weather tyres to your car, there are other simple winter driving safety checks you can make before setting out on any journey during the cold weather season:

• Visibility is vital. Keep your windscreen and windows clear.
• Check your lights are clean and working
• Reduce your speed on slippery surfaces and avoid harsh braking or acceleration
• Increase the distance between you and the vehicle in front - in rain, ice and snow leave enough space to stop safely
• Allow up to ten times the normal braking distance, especially on motorways

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