AA describes busiest time of the year
As you may have noticed temperatures have dropped below freezing for much of the country this week.
For the AA breakdown service, this means one of the busiest periods of the year as accidents because of poor weather conditions and general winter wear and tear increase the number of call outs drastically.
Proof of this is the fact that AA patrols have attended around 63,000 breakdowns, in the last four days (February 2nd-6th). This is 75 per cent busier than normal and means plenty of work for the rugged 4x4s the service uses.
Darron Burness, AA head of special operations said: "Black ice is far more treacherous than snow, as it's virtually impossible to spot. Take particular care on untreated side roads and, if it's slippery, do everything slowly because it can go wrong very quickly".
So what are the different types of 'treacherous' weather conditions?
First off there is black ice; a tricky number as it's extremely slippery and as Burness said 'virtually impossible to spot'.
As you can't see black ice it's hard to avoid, so the best way to tackle it is with winter tyres. They give you better grip and traction in cold temperatures because the rubber is designed to stay softer than standard tyres in temperatures below seven degrees Celsius.
The winter weather also brings with it fog and mist, particularly early in the morning or late at night. Before you set out it is always worth making sure visibility is at its best by looking after your car first thing in the morning, or the night before.
Burness added: "Ice and freezing fog is making for challenging driving conditions over the next few days, especially early in the morning".
Fog lights can also be useful, but it's always worth remembering they should only be used when visibility is particularly poor and it is illegal to use them when visibility is fine because it can blind other drivers.
This includes things like using the right tools for getting ice off your windscreen and possibly covering your car the night before.
Also falling into the 'pre-emptive strike' category is parking your car in shelter or covering it when expecting rain. If it's freezing outside and it starts to pour down there aren't many ways to thaw out a giant block of ice in a 20 minute morning rush.
Making sure your car is fit on the road is crucial to your safety and acting the night before bad weather strikes can save you a lot of trouble.