Winter Is Coming...

In the words that Games of Thrones fans will know and love/fear and has been used in a lot of Internet memes, winter is coming...

But with winter inching closer and closer to us, we at DGT thought it would be a good idea to chat about getting your car ready and give you some advice we think will be really useful...

First advice is check that your car is ready. Check your cars fluid (especially anti-freeze), tyres and their pressures, lights, brakes, steering. Your car should be safe to drive all year round, but with the possibility of snow, ice and cold weather making driving unsafe, a safe car is more valuable than even.

Second piece of advice is be prepared. If you are told on the news that snow is coming, make sure you are ready for it in your car. Blanket, torch with spare batteries, ice-scrapper or de-icer and, if you are thinking of going on a long drive, you want to consider taking a shovel, snacks (chocolate or cereal bars), sunglasses, a first aid kit and a mobile phone charger/adaptor for your car. Also, have your mobile fully charged!

Third advice is check the weather. However you check out your weather (TV, radio, internet, app, etc), always check it to be sure that no sudden change will catch you out. In winter, the weather can change quite quickly so be ready.

The fourth is be careful. If it's snowing thick and fast, it might be too unsafe to drive on the roads unless ABSOLUTELY necessary and, if you must drive, make sure all your windows and lights are clear of snow and stay on roads that have been gritted. If it's foggy and you're coming to a busy junction but unable to see, open your window and listen for traffic. If there's ice, don't use hot water to deice your car.

There is a wide amount of advice out there and we can't help you with all of them (though the advice on BBC News, the AA, the RAC and Direct Line are really helpful), we can help getting car ready for winter by checking your tyres and replacing them if needs must. We can also check out your car's alignment so you can drive safely.

Drive safe, drive DGT.