Winter driving tips – brought to you by Your Cover, Car insurance from Allianz
We might all be ringing the changes in 2011 but the weather is still, for the most part, against us.


There were enough accidents and abandoned cars before Christmas and most of us are still de-icing our cars first thing in the morning - snow still blanketed lots of Scotland last week and there could be more to come. Getting around is a pain while the roads are in a terrible state so we've got some hints and tips to help you travel safe while driving this season.
There are things we can all do to make sure we're prepared and safe when we travel this winter - the most important being to ensure your car is regularly serviced and checked before setting out. The Highway Agency recommends that you:
- * Ensure your headlights are clean and check the bulbs
- * Check and replace the anti-freeze in the radiator
- * Make sure your windscreen is clean
- * Get the battery replaced if it's not reliable
- * Ensure your tyres are correctly inflated and replace them if the tread has reached the legal minimum.
So the car's ready - are you? Gather a few items and keep them in your car. For a comprehensive list, click here, but to get you started, how about making sure you've got the essentials:
- * Ice scraper and de-icer
- * Torch (and spare batteries!)
- * Warm clothes and a blanket
- * Sturdy shoes
- * Jump leads
For a safer journey, adapt your driving in bad weather. Even after roads have been treated, driving conditions may remain challenging. It's also advisable to slow down on corners where the risk of losing control is at its greatest. For more information about driving in severe weather, visit the Highway Agency.
Finally, always check for weather forecasts and warnings before travelling, visit the Met Office.
To find out more about Your Cover, click here
Exquisite houses, the beauty of Nature, and how to get the most from your life, straight to your inbox.
Country Life is unlike any other magazine: the only glossy weekly on the newsstand and the only magazine that has been guest-edited by HRH The King not once, but twice. It is a celebration of modern rural life and all its diverse joys and pleasures — that was first published in Queen Victoria's Diamond Jubilee year. Our eclectic mixture of witty and informative content — from the most up-to-date property news and commentary and a coveted glimpse inside some of the UK's best houses and gardens, to gardening, the arts and interior design, written by experts in their field — still cannot be found in print or online, anywhere else.
-
‘‘In the silence, it is the most perfect blue I have ever seen. If my goggles weren’t already overflowing with water I might even weep’: Learning to freedive on the sparkling French Riviera with a five-time World Champion
Five-time freediving World Champion Arthur Guérin-Boëri calls the serene waters of Cap-Ferrat his office. Now, one storied hotel is offering guests a chance to take a deep breath and jump into the deep unknown with him.
-
The Hollywood garden designers who turned their hand to a magical corner of Somerset
Caisson House's fifteen abandoned locks were part of the draw for Amanda and Phil Honey, who have created this astonishing garden in the grounds of the former headquarters of the Somersetshire Coal Canal Company just outside Bath. Caroline Donald discovers more; photography by Jason Ingram.