Winter is coming, and driving conditions around New Zealand will be changing regularly with increased rainfall, ice and snow in some areas.
It’s important as drivers to stay on top of these changes, so we’ve put together this checklist to help you prepare ahead of time:
🛞 Tyres. Ideally we’d roll into winter with new(er) tyres, and the maximum possible tread depth. The purpose of the grooves in your tyres is to disperse water in wet conditions. The better condition your tyres are in, the better you’ll be equipped to handle this. If you’ve ever felt your car aquaplane in heavy rain conditions, you know it’s not a pleasant feeling.
❄️ ❄️ ❄️
💨 Tyre pressures. All year round it’s crucial to have the correct tyre pressures to suit the load of your vehicle – how much weight you’re carrying, whether it be the number of passengers or work/personal related loose items. If your pressures are too low, you’ll have less control of your vehicle. It also creates drag, which increases fuel consumption. Further to our point on tyre tread in wet conditions, having the correct tyre pressures also increases the efficiency of how your tyres disperse standing water. If you’re regularly carrying passengers or extra weight, add an extra 3-4psi to help cope with this.
❄️ ❄️ ❄️
🌧️ Windscreen wipers. If your wipers leave streaks across the screen when in use, it’s time to replace them. Many automotive workshops will also fit them for you. While you’re at it, make sure the washer fluid reservoir is topped up to get rid of bugs and road grime that builds up on your screen.
❄️ ❄️ ❄️
⛏️ Icy windscreens. In colder parts of the country, frosty mornings can be a bit of a nightmare if you intend to make it to work on time. Plastic ice scrapers are cheap and easy to have in your glove box for those icy mornings. Take the time to remove the ice BEFORE you set off on your journey, for your own safety and that of others. Removing this ice is critical to avoiding sun-strike also, at sunrise and sunset.
❄️ ❄️ ❄️
🔦 Driving lights. It’s our opinion that driving lights should be used all year round, day and night. It alerts oncoming drivers to you, who may not always be paying attention. This is even more important in foggy or misty conditions. Another area to check are your headlight covers – on some vehicles these are plastic and can fade over time and reduce the effectiveness of your light beam. You can purchase polishes to restore these from any automotive parts store.
❄️ ❄️ ❄️
🧊 Icy roads. Driving in winter throws up dangerous obstacles such as black ice. Look out for telltale sights of possible slippery surfaces ahead. Quite often shaded parts of the road will remain wet or icy for most of the day, so be prepared to reduce your speed in anticipation of this.
❄️ ❄️ ❄️
⚡️ Be focussed and present. Most importantly – focus on your driving at all times, and reduce distractions as much as possible.
