London has been embraced with snow fall this week, with the help of twitterers and a great new web 2.0 style site twitter members all over the UK are able contribute to create an instant snow map. Twitterers add #uk snow, the postcode they currently see snow and the amount of snow determined as..0/10 for nothing, 5/10 for steady snow and 10/10 for arctic blizzard conditions… we think its genius. This is one major geographic collaborative event the UK has a reason to twitter for, literally hundreds of people will twitter whether it is snowing in their area every few seconds. A fully fledged twitter enabled web map created by Ben Marsh can be submerged in white dots in minutes. Users can either take a photo on their web enabled phone and attach the image onto the snow map.
As much as most of us in the UK adore a white Xmas we would like to ask for your caution on the roads as driving conditions get tougher in our heavily congested city. Whether you drive a small car or a big limousine when snow falls you need to make sure you are prepared, not just for your safety but also for pedestrians who will have less visibility. Gritters can not cover every square inch of London and sometimes forecasters get it wrong, it has been known in the past for the councils to have not had a true forecast in order to get grit on the road in time for severe weather changes.
Here are 5 tips for safe travel practice when snow falls…..
1. Don’t drive at all!
We may still complain but London has been voted as having the best public transport system in the world, so folks… use it! You can check your route and any delays via the transport for London website. The website is also compatible via most mobile enabled handsets.
2. Prepare your car
Check the tyres for air, sidewall wear and tread depth. Check antifreeze levels. Check the ignition, brakes, wiring, and hoses. Checking the air, fuel and emission filters, and the PCV valve. Inspecting the distributor. Check the battery.
3. Keep the necessary tools in your car at all times
Keep an ice scraper, defroster and cloth in your car Ensure you have a full tank of petrol in case your route gets diverted
4. Plan your route carefully
Many of you will now be using a sat nav system, perhaps select ‘travel on main route’ / ‘lorry type vehicle’ option ensuring you are minimising minor roads which may not have been gritted.
5. Drive cautiously
Ensure there is at least 10 seconds distance between you and the car in front. Drive in as high gear as possible minimising the risk of skidding, ensure smooth, slow turns. If your vehicle skids DO NOT hit the brakes, ease off the accelerator and try to steer gently into the direction of the skid.
I hope this has been an informative and relevant read for you as we approach an inevitable drop in temperature around Xmas in London.
Author Resource:
Richard Silvester launched the first specialist Hummer car company in the UK back in 2005 http://www.HummerHummer.co.uk . Based in London HummerHummer provides exclusive stretch hummer limousine experiences and self drive hire. For more info. you can call 0844 66 000000.
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