Frosty Weather - Warning

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Smashbox

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I know its been said a million times before, but I just wanted to say it one more time. Please be careful on the roads at night/in the morning and in areas where roads cannot clear.

I live in the countryside, travel 20 miles each way to work. This morning at 11.30am, I passed two seperate incidents within metres from each other.

One, a van had obviously hit an icey area, hit a wall and flipped into a field, maybe 10 metres from the road. He was ok.

About 20 metres further up the road, an Almera had hit the ditch and landed on its roof on top of the wall/ditch area.

I know some people take it slow, others (like me) take risks. You really need to know whats happening around you. This part of the road was sheltered and straight, so the ice had not fully melted - my car was only reading 0 degrees.

So be careful everyone, keep safe, and do it if not for you, but for the people you might leave behind.
 
Good post, Smashbox. It seems so simple but sometimes a timely reminder is neccessary. I volunteer with a second line emergency service,consider myself fairly well educated in such things, yet it was my husband that pointed out my driving home last evening from a get together with friends probably wasn't the best plan. As it was a "non essential" journey I stayed over.

I can only add to your post that people please wait until they have clear visability on all sides before driving off and do a couple of brakes at a low speed to check they're not icey.
 
Yes - its very important that people don't get impatient and drive off with partially di-iced windows. I had the misfortune to come across an early morning accident a few years ago when the unfortunate victim got in his car, was rushing to work, hadn't properly cleared the side windows and drove out of a side country road into the path of an artic. The memory of that accident has stayed with me and I think of it every frosty morning when I get into my car.
 
Good post.
What shocks me is that the weather is freezing, and when I've passed cars pulled over on hazards (ie M50 / m1), the occupants seem to all be in jsut a light top standing by the side of the road. I've taken to bringing 2 coats (1 full length) in the car in case I'm stuck, and I also fill a 2 L lemonade bottle with warm water before leaving the house, it has 2 uses, if windscreen wash has frozen I have option to clear the screen using it (I'm talking after defrosting, if you meet cars that spray up muck and you can't clear that off), or should I breakdown I have a 'hot water bottle' for some additonal heat.
I recall working with someone years back that wouldn't clear frost off her windscreen and would jsut drive off... until the day she pranged the managers car!
As a country we dont' really do 'weather' well do we, we can't handle wet, dry, cold, heat.... As they say we don't have a climate, just weather!
 
I start my car 10 or 15 minutes before I head off now. It clears all windows, and so I have a perfect view.

Sure, it may cost me more in petrol in the long run, but I'd rather that then having to pay to have my car fixed or worse.
 
Smashbox said:
I start my car 10 or 15 minutes before I head off now. It clears all windows, and so I have a perfect view.

Sure, it may cost me more in petrol in the long run, but I'd rather that then having to pay to have my car fixed or worse.
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Is this not bad for the engine and also bad for the environment. Why not got a kettle/pot of warm water and throw is over the car window?
 
Yip, seen that same accident this morning. Very scary and was so weird I just couldn't figure out how it had happened, as there was a good distance between the van and the car. Especially scary as I was only FOOD shopping. Was told by three different people to stay at home, one the oil man who said i was basically mad as he had seen two cars and a tractor in a pile up already...........
 
bullbars said:
How can running the engine be bad for it??
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I understand that most engine wear takes place before the engine gets to normal operating temperature, which is achieved from normal driving. As the engine is only ticking over it takes far longer for it to get to normal temperature.
 
Sandals said:
Yip, seen that same accident this morning. Very scary and was so weird I just couldn't figure out how it had happened, as there was a good distance between the van and the car. Especially scary as I was only FOOD shopping. Was told by three different people to stay at home, one the oil man who said i was basically mad as he had seen two cars and a tractor in a pile up already...........
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Are you following me?!

It was two seperate accidents. My brother lives on the corner.

The van had happened a while before I got there, and the car not long before.

I can't pour water on the drive as it runs onto the path. I'd rather hurt my car than my neighbours. My parents have done this for years, they nor I have ever had any problems.
 
bullbars said:
How can running the engine be bad for it??
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Running the engine from cold at idle is very bad for an engine, there is not enough oil pressure generated at idle so thick (cold) oil is not pumped to the top of the engine very well causing far more wear.
 
The other thing about running your engine for 15 minutes before you drive off in the morning -- this trick is well known by thieves and there have been several well-orchestrated thefts of cars left outside houses with engines running... typically expensive cars targetted, sometimes several in the space of a few minutes. Watch out!
 
Can I make a suggestion that motorists give a bit more room to cyclists than usual in the frosty weather. Cyclists are likely to slip or skid on a patch of ice at any time, but particularly when turning and/or braking. You really don't want my bike scratching your bumper or undercarriage, so give me (and other cyclists) loads of room please.
 
Neil_Ireland said:
Running the engine from cold at idle is very bad for an engine, there is not enough oil pressure generated at idle so thick (cold) oil is not pumped to the top of the engine very well causing far more wear.
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Who told you that?

It's good to warm an engine before stressing it.
Most nordic countries have cars with remote starters for this reason.
 
cancan said:
...
Most nordic countries have cars with remote starters for this reason.
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Most Nordic countries also have engine pre-heaters fitted to warm the engine block and oil before using the remote starter.

Running a cold engine at idle for long periods is not good for the engine.

Manufacturers also use special engine maps and fluids capable of coping with Nordic winter temperatures.
 
dub_nerd said:
The other thing about running your engine for 15 minutes before you drive off in the morning -- this trick is well known by thieves and there have been several well-orchestrated thefts of cars left outside houses with engines running... typically expensive cars targetted, sometimes several in the space of a few minutes. Watch out!
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I won't have a problem with that! I neither have an expensive car nor live in an area where that could happen. I often forget to lock the car.. heck even the house... and nothing ever happens.
 
I'm glad I'm not alone!

I dont do it all the time, but its a great way to clear the car while I'm getting ready to head out.
 
N1977 said:
Is this not bad for the engine and also bad for the environment. Why not got a kettle/pot of warm water and throw is over the car window?
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If you drive off immediatley on an icy morning your engine management unit supplies more fuel to the engine as well as an increased electricial load thus increasing the exhaust pollutants, there is also a heavier load on the engine as the oil in the sump is cold as well.

Your engine runs much more efficiently at its normal operating temeperature consuming less fuel and oil.

By all means use some warm water to clear the ice of the windows
 
I'm guilty of warming the car on a cold morning. I like clear windows before I drive off and a warm car for the kidlets to get into. I don't worry over much about theives, if the gates don't stop them the dogs will :D

I'd use the water method more I suppose if I hadn't grown up being told that throwing warm water on a frozen car will crack the windscreen.
 
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