This weather is a bit odd at the moment isn't it? One minute the temperature is in the teens and I am walking round outside in long sleeved T-shirts, the next I am scraping frost off my car windscreen and cursing because my handbrake has frozen on.
The forecast still keeps threatening snow and I feel for the poor snowdrops and daffodils who pop up in the sunshine only to be battered by storms and Jack Frost.
With such changes day by day or even hour by hour I have a car full of props so I don't have to worry about being caught out at all by the weird British weather.
For frosty days I have a scraper and spray and a soft cloth to clean the inside of the windscreen as warm breath on a cold windscreen, or condensation can take a while to clear using the blower. Much quicker to give it a helping hand with a cloth.
I actually have a magnetic windscreen cover too but you can guarantee it will be frosty on the mornings I forgot to put it on. Or the cat will have climbed onto the car roof via the windscreen leaving my cover in a crumpled pile on the bonnet.
I have a supply of de-icing screen wash in my car at the moment. This has proved very useful as dirty roads and frosty mornings mean I seem to use the windscreen spray lever more than normal and I keep running out of liquid!
One of the things I both love and hate at this time of the year is winter/spring sun.
It's lovely to see the sun ( I love the sun so much I have a cabriolet) but it drops so low at both ends of the day it can be blinding and dangerous. I keep sun glasses in the car since the sun visor is not so effective when you are as short as me and the sun is low.
In case of snow I keep a fleecy blanket in the car and if you are really expecting snow, a couple of pieces of wood or even cardboard are useful in case you get stuck and your tyres are spinning. I also keep a torch in the car in case of breakdowns on dark or foggy days. it's magnetic so you can stick it to the roof to warn drivers you've pulled over.
Recently we had a puncture and the torch proved invaluable changing the tyre in the dark. On that note one of the most important things to check regularly, all year round but especially at this time of year, is your tyres.
Check the tread you can buy a gadget cheaply or use the 20p piece check - insert a 20p coin into the tread and make sure you can't see the outer band on the side which is in the tread.
Check the pressure-if you aren't sure what the pressure is meant to be and you can't find your handbook you can use online check sites which only need the make and model or even just the registration number of your vehicle.
If at all in doubt, visit your local garage or specialist tyre supplier and get your tyres checked by professionals. It's wise to buy good quality tyres and make sure you have the same size on each wheel - sounds mad but I bought a second hand car once and discovered after I got it home that there were different sized tyres on each wheel. The car was drinking petrol!
Hopefully you will survive driving in the winter without any mishaps but if the worst happens hopefully you will have a good insurance company who will sort out any dings and dents without too much fuss.
Did you know over 1000 people a day choose LV=car insurance? Apparently they are recommended by Which? so might be worth a look if you are shopping for car insurance.
In the meantime, why not make up a bag of emergency props like me- you could throw in some cereal bars, hand warmers, wellies and a bottle of water too in case we have some unexpected late winter/early spring snow fall!
Disclaimer: I was offered a skidpad driving experience in return for writing my best winter driving tips.
The forecast still keeps threatening snow and I feel for the poor snowdrops and daffodils who pop up in the sunshine only to be battered by storms and Jack Frost.
With such changes day by day or even hour by hour I have a car full of props so I don't have to worry about being caught out at all by the weird British weather.
For frosty days I have a scraper and spray and a soft cloth to clean the inside of the windscreen as warm breath on a cold windscreen, or condensation can take a while to clear using the blower. Much quicker to give it a helping hand with a cloth.
I actually have a magnetic windscreen cover too but you can guarantee it will be frosty on the mornings I forgot to put it on. Or the cat will have climbed onto the car roof via the windscreen leaving my cover in a crumpled pile on the bonnet.
I have a supply of de-icing screen wash in my car at the moment. This has proved very useful as dirty roads and frosty mornings mean I seem to use the windscreen spray lever more than normal and I keep running out of liquid!
One of the things I both love and hate at this time of the year is winter/spring sun.
It's lovely to see the sun ( I love the sun so much I have a cabriolet) but it drops so low at both ends of the day it can be blinding and dangerous. I keep sun glasses in the car since the sun visor is not so effective when you are as short as me and the sun is low.
In case of snow I keep a fleecy blanket in the car and if you are really expecting snow, a couple of pieces of wood or even cardboard are useful in case you get stuck and your tyres are spinning. I also keep a torch in the car in case of breakdowns on dark or foggy days. it's magnetic so you can stick it to the roof to warn drivers you've pulled over.
Recently we had a puncture and the torch proved invaluable changing the tyre in the dark. On that note one of the most important things to check regularly, all year round but especially at this time of year, is your tyres.
Check the tread you can buy a gadget cheaply or use the 20p piece check - insert a 20p coin into the tread and make sure you can't see the outer band on the side which is in the tread.
Check the pressure-if you aren't sure what the pressure is meant to be and you can't find your handbook you can use online check sites which only need the make and model or even just the registration number of your vehicle.
If at all in doubt, visit your local garage or specialist tyre supplier and get your tyres checked by professionals. It's wise to buy good quality tyres and make sure you have the same size on each wheel - sounds mad but I bought a second hand car once and discovered after I got it home that there were different sized tyres on each wheel. The car was drinking petrol!
Hopefully you will survive driving in the winter without any mishaps but if the worst happens hopefully you will have a good insurance company who will sort out any dings and dents without too much fuss.
Did you know over 1000 people a day choose LV=car insurance? Apparently they are recommended by Which? so might be worth a look if you are shopping for car insurance.
In the meantime, why not make up a bag of emergency props like me- you could throw in some cereal bars, hand warmers, wellies and a bottle of water too in case we have some unexpected late winter/early spring snow fall!
Disclaimer: I was offered a skidpad driving experience in return for writing my best winter driving tips.