Driving in bad weather: Choosing your route

Highways England looks after England's motorways and major A roads, and Councils look after all the other roads.

Both work as hard as they can to keep their networks clear during severe weather.

Check weather updates

Make sure you think about the possible weather conditions when planning your route.

Visit the Met Office website or listen to local radio broadcasts for updates.

Stick to main roads

Stick to the main roads where you can and avoid exposed routes.

You should drive with care and respect the road conditions wherever you drive, not every road can be treated. You need to take even more care driving on minor roads. 

Even if the time and location of snowfall is perfectly forecast, it will still take time to clear the snow after it has fallen and to treat the road with salt to reduce the risk of ice. It's not just the salt treatment that helps cut through snow and ice; it's the steady flow of traffic too.

Snow ploughs can't get through if the road or motorway is full of stationary traffic, so give Highways England and Council teams the space they need to do their job and help you on your journey.

Steep hills and exposed roads are also likely to present more challenging driving conditions, so if you could avoid these it might make your journey easier.