Motorists’ chilling fears of winter driving have been exposed by Prestone.
It surveyed drivers and asked them about their main concerns in the colder months, and the results are predictable but often avoidable.
Survey findings:
- Worryingly, nearly a third (29%) of participants admitted they would not know how to regain control of their vehicle if they were to skid on ice.
- Following on from the above, skidding on ice was UK drivers’ number one fear in wintry conditions, with 40% of participants selecting this.
- Getting into an accident with another vehicle was the second answer with over 1 in 5 (21%) respondents saying this is their biggest fear when driving in winter.
- Just under half of participants (48%) said they would not know how to regain control of their vehicle if it were to aquaplane, with the remaining 52% stating that they’d know what to do.
- Just over ¼ (26%) of Brits surveyed said that they didn’t know how to check their tyre tread depth.
- In terms of weather conditions, over 60% of respondents said that ice was the winter driving condition that worries them the most.
- Snow (16%) and Fog (14%) were the second and third most worrying winter driving conditions for British drivers.
- When participants were asked to rate their driving confidence in winter out of 10, the average driving confidence across all participants came to 5.7/10 overall, with 3 in 5 (60%) participants stating their confidence decreases in the winter.
- In good news, an overwhelming majority (91%) of participants said they would take a different route to avoid hazardous roads in winter weather, highlighting the willingness of most people to prioritise safety over convenience during such conditions.
- Fortunately, nearly 4 in 5 (78%) participants said they had never been in a winter driving incident that made them change how they drive.
- Over ¾ of Brits (77%) also said that they regularly check their vehicle’s antifreeze and screen wash levels during winter.