In cooperation with our leading experts in motor insurance, Karolina Čížová and Petr Fousek, we have prepared some tips on how to prevent similar inconveniences on the road:
1. Safety is always a priority
- Always drive only on winter tyres, only these will ensure stability on surfaces covered with ice or snow.
2. Think about your limits and everyone else's
- Keep an eye on the situation around your vehicle at all times.
- Adjust your speed to the driving conditions.
- Maintain a safe distance of at least 2 seconds from the car in front of you.
3. Use the brake pedal carefully
- Avoid hard braking and high speeds.
- Do not make any jerky movements and accelerate smoothly to avoid locking the wheels.
- If the wheels lock, the vehicle will skid and you will lose control.
- If wheel lock occurs, release the brake pedal immediately.
- Vehicles equipped with ABS have the advantage that the wheels will not lock up under hard braking.
- With a vehicle without ABS, you must brake intermittently - repeatedly pressing the brake pedal to prevent the wheels from locking.
4. A higher gear is a good help
- To reduce the risk of skidding when driving uphill, shift into a higher gear than you would when driving in dry weather.
- Smooth acceleration is needed to keep your vehicle from slipping.
5. You can skid on the road in any situation
- If the front wheels lose grip with the road, you can regain control of the vehicle by reducing speed - take your foot off the accelerator.
- Avoid pressing the brake pedal hard and moving the steering wheel quickly.
6. The Driver Helpline is there for everyone
- In case of an emergency (getting stuck in the snow with your vehicle, car breakdown, etc.), call 1224.
- Simply report the registration number of your vehicle to the Driver Helpline and the operator will inform you of the next step in the situation.
7. The number of accidents in winter is still rising
- On average, over 23,000 accidents occur between January and March.
- For January 2020, 7,425 accidents were recorded, of which 1,209 were due to speeding.
8. Third party motor insurance - a must-have for journeys
- Coverage for damages resulting from bodily injury or death, including the cost of treating the injured.
- Reimbursement of damage to property.
- Payment for damages that are in the nature of lost profits.
- Reimbursement of the reasonable costs of legal representation of the injured party in cases provided for by law.
9. Collision insurance is a security
- Covers damage to your vehicle caused by, for example, a crash, theft, natural disasters, vandalism, falling objects, collision with wildlife.
- Natural disasters include cover against damage caused by fire, flood, hail or a tree falling in a storm.
10. Insurance should not be underestimated
- Think that despite your best driving skills, an accident can happen to you.
- For example, you will be safely protected by compulsory liability and accident insurance.
We can help you to take out quality compulsory or breakdown insurance Blanka Kebrtová, +420 737 271 473, blanka.kebrtova@respect.cz.
Read more about car insurance.
