If the last two winters are anything to go by, we are in for another big freeze in the following months. Hundreds of cars each year suffer from the extreme conditions this country is throwing at us but there are some essential tips that you can follow to keep your car on the road this year.

The first is to charge your car battery. Most batteries fail us on a Monday morning when the car has been left to sit all weekend and not run. To ensure you keep your battery charged make sure you switch off all electrics including wipers, lights, radio and the heaters before turning your engine off. This will allow extra charge to run into the battery when it comes to starting the engine. You can buy a battery charger to check your cars battery conditions. This way you will know if it is on its way out. Servicing will enable you to identify any faulty alternator, leaking battery or damaged glow plugs which all affect your battery charges.

Successfully de-ice your car. Many people don't leave enough time to properly de ice their car before they jump in and frantically clear an envelope size window to see through to drive off on their merry way. Not only is this dangerous you can pick up a fine of up to 1000 for driving with restricted vision. To de ice your car, turn the engine on and switch on the heating to the highest setting. Lift the car wipers off the glass to check they are not stuck and put down again, let the ice clear naturally with the heat coming from inside the car, but scrap off any excess snow or ice to help along the way. Never pour hot water on the mirrors or glass as both can shatter or refreeze quickly. Avoid scraping off the ice with a scraper as many can damage your windscreen.

Always allow extra time in the morning to prepare you car for the road when the weather conditions are bad, not only will you need this time to de ice your car you will also need to extend your journey time to allow for the roads conditions. Bear in mind braking distances and black ice to avoid any unforeseen accidents.