With British Summer Time set to end at 02.00 this Sunday 26 October, the Department of Infrastructure is encouraging motorists to be prepared for winter.
John Houghton MHK, DoI Member with responsibility for Highway Services, has today (Thursday 23 October) launched a campaign aimed at improving road safety during the winter months.
‘Are You Ready For Winter?’ urges drivers to carry out a number of basic vehicle checks and to drive to the conditions as the days become darker and the weather more extreme.
Before heading out on to the road people should –
• Check lights work – and use them
• Demist windows fully before driving
• Check tyre treads and pressures
• Use fog lights in fog
Mr Houghton said: ‘Keeping your vehicle well maintained is important all year round, but doubly so in winter. This is about taking practical and common sense steps to ensure everyone stays safe on the Island’s roads. For example, worn tyres won't hold the road in wet conditions as well as those with a good, deep tread.’
He added: ‘Always adjust your dri¬ving accord¬ing to the con¬di¬tions and plan your jour¬ney by check¬ing the lat¬est weather forecast, as the winter months can bring extremely challenging driving conditions. Make sure that you can see clearly and that you can be seen. Don’t set off peering through a letter-box size gap in your windscreen – make sure it is fully demisted. Use dipped head¬lights in poor vis¬i¬bil¬ity and don’t just rely on day¬time run¬ning lights if you have them.’
To promote further awareness of the added requirements for winter motoring, the Department is asking drivers the following questions:
• Do you know where the switches are for your front and rear fog lights? Studies suggest that 30% of drivers don’t know how to turn on their rear fog lights
• When did you last check your lights and tyres?
Mr Houghton said: ‘Being prepared for winter motoring is very important. We want to keep people safe and reduce the number of incidents on Manx roads. The message is to properly maintain your vehicle, drive with care and respect the road con¬di¬tions.’
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