Highways Agency warns drivers to take care in icy weather
Drivers in the North East are being advised to take extra care on the roads on Tuesday morning and to check the weather forecast and road conditions before they travel.
The Met Office today issued an early warning of widespread icy roads in Northumberland during Tuesday morning (these are issued when the Met Office has a 60% or greater confidence that severe weather is expected).
There is the potential for widespread ice, following the clearance of a band of wintry precipitation moving south-eastwards overnight.
Winter and resilience manager for the Highways Agency, Kevin Hoare, said:
“The Highways Agency’s winter fleet, will be out treating all motorways and major ‘A’ roads across the North East. Drivers should take care around spreading vehicles and vehicles clearing snow and only overtake if they can do so safely, without driving on any uncleared snow. These vehicles are performing essential work to help keep roads open and may be travelling at low speed”.
Drivers are reminded that it can take ten times longer to stop when it is icy, so allow more room to slow down and stop. Avoid losing control of your vehicle because of wheel spin, by using the highest gear possible. Avoid sudden braking, acceleration and sharp turns.
The Highways Agency works closely with the Met Office and we have staff from the Met Office based at our National Traffic Control Centre to ensure we have the best information for road users.
Information about current road conditions is on the Highways Agency’s website http://www.highways.gov.uk/trafficinfo/
Drivers are also advised to plan their journey before leaving home and check routes for delays. Listen to travel news on your car radio or tune into the Highways Agency’s Traffic Radio, which is available on DAB Digital Radio or online at http://www.trafficradio.org.uk.
For up-to-date information on road conditions on England’s motorways and trunk roads, drivers should check the Agency website at http://www.highways.gov.uk or call 08457 504030. For information on weather conditions, visit the Met Office website http://www.metoffice.gov.uk or listen to local radio.
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