GET READY FOR WINTER
Police Scotland begins a week of road safety action today in order to encourage drivers to prepare for winter driving. The initiative will run from Monday 6 to Monday 13 October 2013 across Scotland, and officers in Dumfries and Galloway will play their part.
The hazards of heavy rain, high winds and snow or icy roads during the autumn and winter months all give drivers on our roads extra hazards to think about. The initiative is aimed at reducing the number of casualties resulting from road collisions and to improve driver behaviour.
Over the course of the week patrols will be monitoring and stopping motorists in order to check the roadworthiness of vehicles and to offer advice and guidance to drivers about the extra potential dangers that winter driving can bring. Advice on how to maintain vehicles and information on extra equipment to consider carrying when driving at this time of year will also be given out.
Inspector Neil Hewitson of the Road Policing Unit says “Extreme weather, reduced visibility and shorter daylight hours all add to the challenge of driving and keeping safe in winter. Our aim is to remind motorists about these dangers, whilst checking that their vehicles are roadworthy. Many roads across Dumfries and Galloway get affected very quickly by the extremes of our weather and motorists are encouraged to drive to the conditions they came across. Motorists can greatly improve the chances of keeping themselves safe by taking a few minutes out to check the condition of their vehicle, check the conditions of theirs route and consider carefully, when the weather is extremely foul, if their journey is really necessary. Our aim is to work with drivers to help keep all of our roads safe in Dumfries and Galloway.”
