Autumn driving advice

The temperature has dropped, the roads are wet and the nights are drawing in more and more each day: Autumn has arrived and you're going to know about it.

With autumn comes plenty of rainfall, wet leaves and low sun, which can cause drivers difficulties on the road, especially when you're travelling begins and ends in the dark.

In order to help with your battle against the conditions we are offering advice on how to prepare your car for the upcoming months. Read on for our tips to keep right during the next couple of months.

1. Windscreen wipers

You will be relying a lot on your windscreen wipers for now, so make sure that the blades are wiped clean and working properly. Lift the blades off of the window in order to remove any dirt that could infringe movement. Also, make sure to turn the windscreen wiper blades off before switching on the ignition as this could blow a fuse if there has been overnight frost.

2. Watch out for leaves

With autumn comes a lot of leaves, and leaves tend to block areas on your car that could lead to damage. Clean your car thoroughly before setting off, especially under your bonnet where water can be stored if leaves get in the way of the plenum chamber. Driving through wet leaves can also cause your car to lose friction, so always reduce speed if you need to drive through them.

3. Slippery roads

Whether it's because of rain or ice, the roads will become significantly more slippery meaning there is no better time than now to be consistently checking your tyre pressures and their condition. The legal tread depth is 1.6mm, but 3mm is recommended for increased traction.

4. Clear the condensation 

Condensation will build up on the windows and lights when the car isn't running, which if left alone will cause problems with visibility and lead to glare. LED light bulbs are usually not powerful enough to evaporate water on light covers, so remember to clean these too.

5. Sunglasses

As the days become shorter the sun gets lower, unfortunately for drivers this tends to happen around 5pm when most people are leaving work. Avoid being dazzled by the sun by keeping a pair of sunglasses on hand in your car.

6. Check your battery

Breakdown is most common during the colder months, and although it is always important to keep on top of how your battery is coping, it is particularly necessary in autumn/winter. If the battery is more than five years own it may be a good idea to renew it in order to avoid a failure while on the road.