Are you winter ready before hitting the road?

Are you winter ready before hitting the road?

Driving in winter can be hazardous, and with the weather deteriorating AMI Insurance is calling on motorists to get prepared for the colder weather and the poor road conditions it can create.

A nationwide survey* conducted last month by AMI through the community website Neighbourly showed how more than a fifth (22.4 per cent) of New Zealand drivers did not know if their tyre tread was the legal depth of 1.5mm, while one in ten people (11.7 per cent) had not checked their tyre tread depth in the last year.

AMI National Technical Specialist Chris Kiddey advised drivers of basic safety checks they can do before they hit the road to help them stay safer during transit.

“People should first and foremost think about the risk to themselves and their families,” Chris said.

“Vehicles need up three times more stopping distance on wet roads than in dry conditions, and replacing windscreen wipers that are worn give you a better chance of being able to see clearly in wet weather.”

The survey showed that one in eight drivers (12.9 per cent) had not checked their windscreen wipers or wiper fluid level ready for winter.

Almost two thirds (62 per cent) of drivers said they do not routinely check their battery before the change of season. Of those people, nearly half (47 per cent) said they had not checked their brakes ready for winter either.

“Cold weather is hard on both brakes and batteries,” Chris said. “Since you get a WOF every year, why not arrange for an annual WOF and service in the run-up to the winter months so that you know your battery, brakes and other safety features will be in good condition when it counts?”

Figures from the Ministry of Transport show that wintery weather conditions such as rain, mist, snow, strong wind and frost were a factor in 34 fatal crashes that occurred between 2011 and 2015**.

In support of ‘Road Safety Week’, which is this week, AMI shared these tips to help drivers stay safer on the roads this winter.

• Slow down. According to the New Zealand Transport Agency, one of the most common causes of a wet weather crash is driving too fast. The Accident Compensation Corporation has stated that although people do slow down in bad weather, the amount that they slow down isn’t actually enough to compensate for poor weather;

• Keep up to date with the latest traffic and weather updates;

• Drive to the current conditions;

• Make sure tyres and brakes are in good working order;

• Stock your car with a portable emergency survival kit including items such as emergency water, spare batteries, a torch and a list of emergency numbers and important contacts. The New Zealand Ministry of Civil Defence and Emergency Management’s Get Thru Get Ready website has useful information on how to prepare emergency plans and kits: www.getthru.govt.nz

• If you don’t have to drive, stay off the road.

* 748 people participated in the survey in April 2016 through Neighbourly and the data has been weighted against key demographic indicators (e.g., age, gender and region) according to the 2013 census data (Statistics NZ) to ensure the results are nationally represented. The margin of error is 3% at a 90% confidence level.

** These figures relate to the weather conditions at the time of the crash only, and don’t necessarily include crashes where, for example, the road was slippery because of earlier rain. Please note the 2015 component of these figures are provisional.

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