The weather can be pretty unpredictable. Bad weather can strike suddenly so the best advice when severe weather hits is to stay off the road. If you must drive, make sure you are prepared for what you're going to come up against.

During Bad Winter Weather

• Clear your windows and mirrors before you set out and carry a screen scraper and de-icer.
• Check the local and national weather forecasts and listen to local and national radio for travel information.
• Tell someone at the other end of your journey what time you expect to arrive.
• Make sure you take warm clothes, food, boots and a torch. In snowy conditions, take a spade.

If You Get Into Trouble

• Don't use your mobile phone while driving. Stop somewhere safe or ask someone else in the car to make the call.
• On a motorway, you're best to use a roadside emergency telephone, because the breakdown or emergency services will be able to find you easily. If you have to use a mobile phone, make sure you know your location from the numbers on the marker posts on the side of the hard shoulder.
• Abandoned cars can hold up rescue vehicles and snowploughs. To make sure that the road is cleared as quickly as possible, stay with your car until help arrives.