What Car? guide to winter motoring - Other wintertime dangers

Cyclists and pedestrians are put at extra risk through winter, particularly children on their way home from school. In fact, road accidents are the leading cause of accidental death among the 12- to 16-year-old age group. Drink-driving is another hazard of winter as the festive season gets underway.

• Slow down, especially around schools, to give yourself more time to adjust to the reduced visibility in the dark and poor weather. Be on the look-out for pedestrians and cyclists that are far harder to spot in murky winter weather.

• Get your children some reflective clothing that helps them to stand out when they're walking or cycling. It doesn't have to be unfashionable.

• Remind your children to be extra careful around traffic. Try the Department for Transport's road safety site here for information on training schemes and leaflets on every subject, for all ages.

• Renault's Safety Matters website has been specifically developed to help teach road safety to children and can be found here.

• Don't think that 30mph is safe just because that's the limit that's been set.

• Be patient with cyclists and give them a wide berth in case they suddenly swerve to avoid standing water or potholes.

• Don't drink and drive. It's far safer not to drive, even after just one drink.

• There's no failsafe guide for working out when you might be over the limit – it all depends on your height, weight, age, metabolic rate and what you’ve had to eat and your stress levels.

• It's very easy to still be over the limit the morning after a party, so don't immediately jump behind the wheel when you wake up. If you really pushed the boat out the night before, you might well need to leave the car keys on the hook until lunchtime or beyond.

• Eating a greasy breakfast, downing lots of coffee or taking a cold shower will NOT sober you up.