Anyone heading to Europe in February knows to expect cold weather and adverse conditions, but the cold snap
gripping the continent in 2012 is unprecedented. Snow in places that
don’t usually see it, such as Corsica in the Med’!
Further north the icy Siberian blast has
claimed over 100 lives. It’s also causing massive disruption to transport.
London’s Heathrow airport, one of the busiest in the world, preemptively
cancelled a third of all flights on the weekend of the 4th/5th.
Italy ordered trucks off the roads for a week. European rail operators were
advising customers to expect long delays.
One traveller used social media to tell his
friends his flight from London to Bangkok was held on the tarmac at Heathrow. Meals
were served, movies played, but the scenery out the window didn’t change. They
eventually were able to depart 8 hours after the scheduled time!
Hire A Car
So if you HAVE to be somewhere in Europe
during a big freeze and the trains and planes aren’t running, it’s tempting to
hire a car and do it yourself.
Be warned, especially if you are unused to
wintry conditions, driving can be really dangerous. You could spend 8 hours or
more stuck in your car in a snowdrift – those movies and hot meals on the
delayed Heathrow flight are starting to look like luxury!
Winter Driving Tips
Britain’s AA has some excellent tips on
winter driving, but here are a few of our own:
The first is to play it easy and even on both the brake and accelerator.
Any sudden changes can cause you to lose grip. Set your speed before entering a
corner. A change in velocity halfway through a turn could easily throw you into
a slide so make sure you gear down or brake well ahead of the curve.
If you do start to skid, you’ll retain more grip
if all your wheels are moving, so back off the brake and stay away from the
accelerator. The rule of thumb is to turn into the skid to try and get your
wheels going the same way as you are.
If the back of the car is sliding, don’t panic,
just slowly and smoothly turn the wheel the way the rear is moving. Sometimes
you might slightly overdo it and the back will lash out in the opposite
direction like the tail of an angry cat. I think this why they call it
fishtailing. Because cats like fish. Never fear if this happens, just keep
gently correcting until you’re back in line.
It might seem ridiculous but pack extra
clothing and warm blankets in the car. Put some snacks and water in the
survival bag, maybe even a thermos of hot tea.
If you’re renting a car, see if you can get
one with GPS and an emergency ‘panic’ button to summon help.
If you are stranded, stay with the car, it’s
your best chance of surviving. Outside temperatures, especially at night will
quickly cause hypothermia, and unless you find help quickly you’ll be in deadly
trouble.
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