Just when you thought it was safe enough to turn the boiler off, the UK weather ushers in another weekend of freezing temperatures to remind us that we’ve not got away with winter, yet. I cannot wait until I hit my late fifties and have the excuse to bugger off to Benalmadena from November to March, I really can’t.
Aside from that fact, the weather department are issuing warnings of freezing overnight temperatures and early morning icy roads. On the back of the Met office update, Swinton Commercial, too, reminded van drivers everywhere to remain vigilant and not be complacent with their driving, thus threatening their current cheap van insurance policies with the High Street insurance broker.
This year has seen a complete opposite of last year’s prolonged cold snap and many drivers are apt to think that it’s business as usual. But as the High Street broker correctly point out, heightened driving skill should still be deployed, especially for larger commercial vehicles laden with heavy loads, if they want to retain that cheap van insurance into this year.
It’s not exactly like slowing an ocean-liner, but the theory is the same, according to their latest statement: the heftier the payload, the longer the braking distance on a slippery road surface. As such, here are some crucial tips to help keep your van and its insurance as frost-free as possible this late winter weekend:
1. Ease off the juice – in treacherous conditions, less miles per hour means more control when braking
2. Iced smoothie – jerking or abrasive reactions are sure to put your heavy van into a slide on untreated road surfaces – where possible, use your gears to decelerate rather than the brakes; if you do need to hit the middle pedal, don’t slam it, yo pump it!
3. Up the ante – where driving conditions allow, stay in a high gear; this will help keep you in control of your van
4. Don’t pull up to the bumper, baby – and it goes without saying, but, the more distance between you and the driver in front the less chance you have of a collision of which you will be the at-fault driver when it comes to the van insurance claim afterwards
In conjunction with these recommendations, Swinton’s commercial vehicle manager Phil Moss added that lack of extra due care and attention, probably caused by our reliance on unseasonably good driving conditions in the extremely mild winter thus far, may well lead to accidents in the upcoming wintry conditions and is therefore more likely to harm your chances of a cheap van insurance renewal quote if ignored.