Every year, when winter sneaks up on us, everybody fears the bad weather and slippery roads. Yet, a few good reflexes may get you safely through the winter. Here are some tips to drive serenely through the winter:

Driving behaviour
At the wheel, double your vigilance in difficult conditions. Choose gentle manoeuvres over sudden movements.
When driving through curves, keep the steering wheel movements flexible and constant. If you are driving a front-wheel drive vehicle and the back of your vehicle slides, slowly accelerate to restore the balance. If your vehicle is rear-wheel drive, release the clutch, ease off the gas pedal and counter-steer. The golden rule: always look in the direction you want to go.
While braking, do not hesitate to use engine braking to avoid skidding. During skidding, you lose control of your vehicle; to restore the grip, release the brake pedal and brake again. Please note that a humid surface is two times more slippery than a dry one; a snow-covered surface will be four and a frozen surface eight times more slippery!
On the slopes, when the wheels start to spin, shift into higher gear. The front or rear wheel drive force will decrease, thus increasing the grip of your vehicle. 

Tyres
Proper tyre inflation is predominant during cold weather. Indeed, the lower the temperature, the lower the measured pressure. Therefore, during cold weather, always add 0.2 bar to the indicated pressure.
Winter tyres may prove very useful.

Vehicle maintenance
The golden rule both in winter and in summer is high visibility so do not hesitate to regularly wash your vehicle. In addition, a dirty vehicle will be more susceptible to frost. Also be aware that salt for icy roads causes corrosion to your bodywork.
We also recommend to:
- use the windscreen wiper liquid suited for temperatures up to -30°C
- check the condition of your battery
- treat the rubber seals on your doors with an adequate grease to keep them from freezing.

The necessary equipment
Below are a few helpful tools during periods of extreme cold:
- an ice scraper
- a lock defrost spray
- one or more blankets in case of car failure.

Good to know
- Avoid using the handbrake in case of extreme cold as frost might paralyse it. Preferably shift into gear.
- Make sure your wipers are not frozen to your windshield before activating them as this might damage the wiper engine.
- Never put a newspaper on your windshield to avoid it from freezing overnight. The paper may become humid before it freezes and will stick to your windshield. A piece of cardboard should do the trick.