As a fierce cold snap bears down on the country, the AA urges motorists to check road conditions before travelling and to avoid driving in snowy or stormy weather.

The MetService is forecasting a bitterly cold front to sweep up the country on Wednesday, which is likely to bring snow to much of the South Island and southern and central parts of the North Island.

Accompanying the snow is likely to be heavy downpours of rain, surface flooding and icy roads, which all add up to extremely risky conditions for motorists.

AA Motoring Affairs General Manager Mike Noon says in extreme weather the best advice is always to stay off the road if you can.

"If you have to go out, drivers should check the conditions of the roads on the AA Roadwatch website before setting off.”

AA Roadwatch spokesman Phil Allen says it is important for motorists to be informed.

“AA Roadwatch not only keeps you informed of road closures, snow, ice, flooding, high wind, lane restrictions, heavy congestion and slow travel speeds due to weather and other causes, but also advises you when key roads have re-opened in the last 24 hours.

“The last thing people need after they’ve set off is to be caught short of their destination because the road is impassable, especially when the family is on board,” he says.

“We’re constantly collecting and updating information from local authorities, NZ Police, the NZ Transport Agency and also motorists to ensure we’re providing the most comprehensive map possible.”

AA Roadwatch users can easily zoom from a nationwide view to street level to see where and what incidents are so they can either plan a route around them or prepare accordingly.

With the polar blast predicted this week, Mr Noon says drivers should have chains available for their tyres if they have to travel on snowy roads and slow right down and drive to the conditions.

“If your vehicle starts to skid on a patch of ice don’t brake hard. The best way to regain control is to take your foot off the accelerator, steer in the direction the car is sliding and lightly tap the brakes a couple of times if you have to.”

And even in parts of the country that don’t get snow drivers still need to adjust to wintry conditions.

“Watching your speed and your following distance is even more important in the wet. Your car will take longer to stop on a wet road so drop back from the normal two second gap to four seconds.”

“If it’s raining or a bit gloomy, use your lights during the day. In torrential rain the best thing you can do is pull over and wait for it to ease up. If you can’t do that, then at least slow down.”

Motorists should be extremely cautious of trying to drive through any flooded roads, as it can be hard to tell how deep the water level is. If in doubt, don’t risk it.

The AA’s final piece of advice is to be prepared in case of a breakdown. If you are in remote areas or making a road trip have some warm clothes, a blanket and a torch in the vehicle; and make sure your cellphone is charged up.

For more information contact:

Phil Allen
Chief Executive
GeoSmart
T. +64 9 966 8630
M. +64 21 415 310
W. www.aaroadwatch.co.nz

Mike Noon
General Manager
Motoring Affairs
T. +64 4 931 9984
M. +64 21 659 704
W. www.aa.co.nz

The New Zealand Automobile Association is an incorporated society with over one million members. It represents the interests of road users who collectively pay over $2 billion in taxes each year through fuels excise, road user charges and GST.