Skip to main content

UK’s Institute of Advanced Motorists launches Wheels in Winter road driving campaign

European skiers may be praying for snow but city dwellers and highway users likely want the white stuff at bay for as long as possible. To help drivers be ready for the inevitable snow, the UK’s Institute of Advanced Motorists (IAM) has launched its national winter campaign Wheels in Winter well ahead of 21 December, the official first day of winter. London’s winters can be milder than for many other major northern European cities, such as Paris, Warsaw and Berlin. But the UK capital’s rainy weather with t
October 14, 2014 Read time: 2 mins
European skiers may be praying for snow but city dwellers and highway users likely want the white stuff at bay for as long as possible. To help drivers be ready for the inevitable snow, the UK’s 5125 Institute of Advanced Motorists (IAM) has launched its national winter campaign Wheels in Winter well ahead of 21 December, the official first day of winter.

London’s winters can be milder than for many other major northern European cities, such as Paris, Warsaw and Berlin. But the UK capital’s rainy weather with temperatures hovering just above freezing means a drop of only 3°C can result in dangerously icy roads, warns IAM, an independent road safety charity.

The UK’s 5432 Department for Transport reported 57,260 cars across England and Wales were involved in accidents as a result of wet, flooded and icy roads in 2013.

Skidding alone resulted in 11,614 major road accidents. Also in the same year, more than 5,000 motorcycle accidents took place.

South East England – the area with the mildest temperatures -- reported 6,675 accidents, the highest for any area in England and Wales.

“The Wheels in Winter campaign is part of a national effort to cut the number of road traffic collisions and incidents,” said IAM chief executive Nick Stonard.

IAM will be issuing weekly advice, reactive weather forecast updates and social media notices to keep safe driving in the minds of road users.

IAM’s commercial division operates through its occupational driver training company IAM Drive & Survive. Its policy and research division offers advice and expertise on road safety.

For more information on companies in this article

Related Content

  • The cycle of potholes in the UK
    May 9, 2019
    Since 2015 almost a million potholes have been recorded annually by UK local authorities, with the 2016 count reaching 1,088,965, according to an insurance provider. The Insurance Emporium obtained data from 175 local authorities and compared it to the incidence of injury and damage claims made against these authorities by cyclists. During 2017-18, there were 335 pothole damage and injury claims filed against local authorities. Personal and dental injuries to cyclists accounted for 16% of these and d
  • The Highways Agency aims to address workzone crashes
    April 10, 2013
    The UK’s Highways Agency is telling drivers to take extra care and to stick speed limits at roadworks, to prevent deaths and injuries among both road users and road workers. Eight road workers have been killed in the last three years while improving and maintaining the strategic road network in England. In addition there are many near misses, with members of the public driving through coned off areas or colliding with works vehicles. The UK Government is investing additional funding in road improvements acr
  • UK road safety sees good and bad
    February 5, 2016
    There is both good and bad to be seen in the latest data on UK road safety from the Department for Transport (DfT). For the year ending September 2015 there were 23,700 killed or seriously injured (KSI) casualties, a 3% decrease compared with the previous year. However road deaths increased by 3% to 1,780, compared with 1,731 for the year ending September 2014. There were also 188,830 reported road casualties of all severities, 3% lower than for the year ending September 2014. Of note is the fact that motor
  • When the rain comes
    July 18, 2012
    Statistics show that wet weather and the dark is not the best mix for driving, but road markings offer a safety solution While good road markings are essential any time of the day, it is perhaps at night when roads are wet that they can offer extra guidance. Statistics are said to reveal that an estimated 50% of all accidents happen during the night when it rains but such conditions occur only 10% of the time and when there are usually less vehicles on the road. Indeed, at the 1st Road Marking Symposium hel