It’s been a particularly cold winter in the UK this year and we can all agree that the roads are in bad condition right now. Where the ice and snow once dominated, we now see a growing number of pesky potholes. Spring showers bring heavy rainfall that can fill the potholes quickly which can make them harder to spot so it’s important to be extra vigilant.
Try your best to avoid them, but if it is not safe to do so slow right down and let go of the brake before going over the pothole. Braking can cause your tyre to hit the hole with more force and increase the risk of an expensive and unwanted puncture.
Before you rush to switch out your winter tyres, ensure the average temperature stays above 7 because anything below that brings the risk of frosty mornings and icy roads. Good tyre tread is essential for wet weather driving. Worn tread will reduce traction and can increase the chance of slipping, especially if the road surface is wet.
The legal minimum tread depth for your tyres is 1.6mm, but it’s a good idea to replace them at around 2mm. If you’re unsure on the depth, try the coin test: place a 20p in the main groove of your tyre and if you can see the outer rim of the coin, they need some immediate attention. And don’t forget to try to check your tyre pressure fortnightly too!
Weather conditions are an important factor when determining how long you should leave between you and the car in front. Usually, a two second gap is considered safe enough in normal weather conditions. However, when conditions aren’t great like we see with heavy spring showers, you should increase your following distance to 4 seconds. Vehicle accidents often occur when drivers fail to consider how much of an impact slick roads have on their stopping time.
As spring moves to summer, you are more likely to head out on a sunny drive. Keeping a pair of sunglasses in the car can be handy, however, you must make sure the sunglasses’ filter category number is between 0-3. Class 4 sunglasses are not safe and are actually illegal to wear whilst you are driving.
However, according to the Highway Code, the best thing you can do if you are dazzled by bright sunlight is slow down or pull over. You can increase your safety further by keeping your windshield clean. Dirty windscreens can scatter light, making it harder to see the road and judge your environment so remember to keep your water tank topped up!
Wet roads can be just as dangerous as icy ones because your tyres run the risk of hydroplaning and losing contact with the road. Try to slow down and take care when moving round corners to reduce the risk of this happening. It’s also a good idea to check your windscreen wipers are working properly before setting off in the rain. The freezing temperatures in winter months can reduce their effectiveness which becomes an issue in heavy showers.
It might be a lot to take in, but by being aware of the hazards of spring driving and knowing how to navigate them, you can start to properly enjoy the improving weather. Sunnier drives with the windows down are fast approaching…
Let us take care of your EV charging needs before you hit the road this spring. Answer a few short questions here and find the right charger for your car in under a minute. Alternatively, give us a call at 03333 44 96 99 or fill in the contact form below. Our expert customer service team are always happy to help.
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This type of electric charger has it's own cable to charge your car.
This type of electric charger requires a seperate cable to charge your car.
Spread over a 60 month period.
Tenants and homeowners are eligible for finance.
You decide the amount of months.
Minimum of £1000.
We will contact you to process the credit application. Approval is subject to application, financial circumstances and borrowing history. 13.9% APR representative. T&Cs apply.
Your order is not confirmed until your application has been approved.
We lay SWA cable laid at 600mm deep, with a protective cable warning tape laid 150mm above the cable. These are laid on a sand or sifted sand soil bed then backfilled.
We position overhead cables at a minimum height of 3.5m and are run along a catenary wire. The cable run should not be accessible to vehicles.
Standard Installation
Our instant price is fixed if it falls within our standard installation package plus any additions that you have selected (extra cabling for example). This package covers the majority of homes in the UK. Before we undertake your installation we will carry out a digital survey to check that nothing has been missed. After reviewing the survey results some additional work may be required in order to complete your installation safely and to the required standards. If this is the case, we will contact you well before the installation date and advise the cost of any required work. You can then continue with your installation, or alternatively we will refund you in full if you do not want to proceed.
Included in our standard installation is :
• Fitting of a single phase charge point to a brick or plaster wall or other suitable permanent structure
• Up to 10 metres of cable, run and neatly clipped to the wall between the electricity supply meter / distribution board and the charge point.
• Routing of the cable through a drilled hole in a wall up to 500mm (20 inches) thick if this is needed.
• The fitting and testing of electrical connections and protections required for the charge point.
• An additional three way consumer unit, if required
• Installation of a Type A RCBO in an RCBO enclosure
• Up to 3 metres of plastic trunking to conceal interior wiring.
• An O-pen earth protection device if the charge point requires it. (This is NOT an earth rod)
• Up to 4 hours of labour from your installer to complete the work.
• Electrical testing of the whole installation.
• Handover and setup of the charge point and any app that may be needed.
Not included in our standard installation (additional work) :
• Where the installation requires additional cabling over and above the amount you have told us about.
• Upgrade/replacement of the main incoming supply fuse where the local DNO (eg Northern Powergrid) would need to attend site.
• If the charge point is to be mounted on a post/pedestal rather than an existing wall and where you have not selected a post as an extra cost option in your order.
• Installation of a charge point to a three phase supply.
• Where gas and water mains bonding (earthing) is not in place at your property. If this is not in place, additional work would be required before installation of the charge point.
• Any groundwork that has not been selected during the order process.
A Surge Protection Device is not included in our standard installation.
What else you need to know :
• On the day of installation, please ensure that the area around your consumer unit (fuse box), incoming electricity supply meter and proposed charge point location (including where the cable is expected to be run) is clear and free of obstructions.
• We will need your WiFi password as part of the installation process in order to connect your charge point to the internet. Please have this available for the installer. Details will not be kept.
• The charge point must be on your own designated off road parking.
• The charger will be fixed in line with current guidelines at a height where it cannot be hit by a vehicle.
• Our installers are not able to enter loft spaces; lift floorboards or flooring; take apart any furniture of work above a height of 2m. If you anticipate that any of this may be required, then please contact us and we can discuss in more detail and provide you with a quotation.
• Should there be extreme weather conditions our installers may not be able to continue with you installation if it is not safe to do so (for example flooding). They will always do their best to complete the work where they can.
If you have any questions then please contact our customer service team who will be happy to help. Please also read our terms and conditions.
