Driving in snow and ice: what the Highway Code says and how to prepare

The short answer

The Highway Code's first instruction for snow and ice is not to drive at all unless the journey is essential. If it is, two things are legal requirements before you set off: you must be able to see, so every window is cleared of snow and ice, and your lights and number plates must be clean and legible. On the move the Code's advice is about gentleness: a slow speed in as high a gear as the car will pull, brakes and accelerator used very gently, braking done on the straight before a bend and never in it, and a gap to the car in front that reflects stopping distances up to ten times longer than on a dry road.

The rest of this article walks through rules 228 to 231 as they read on GOV.UK today, then the fog rules that so often apply on the same mornings, and the preparation that makes all of it easier.

Before you set off: what the Code requires

Rule 228 of the adverse weather section says to check the local forecast for ice and snow warnings and not to drive in those conditions unless the journey is essential. If it is, take great care, allow more time, and carry an emergency kit: de-icer and a scraper, a torch, warm clothing and boots, a first aid kit, jump leads, a shovel, a warm drink and some food.

Rule 229 is where the legal requirements sit:

• You must be able to see, so clear all snow and ice from all your windows, not a porthole on the driver's side.
• You must ensure that lights are clean and number plates are clearly visible and legible.
• Make sure the mirrors are clear and the windows thoroughly demisted.
• Remove all snow that might fall off into the path of other road users: the roof is the one most people miss, and a sheet of it sliding onto the windscreen at the first brake is how a careful driver ends up blind at a junction.
• Check the planned route is clear of delays and that no further snow or severe weather is forecast.

Our de-icing guide, linked below, covers the clearing routine in detail. The car is ready when every window is clear to its edges, the lights and both plates are wiped, and the wipers are free.

On the move: rules 230 and 231

Rule 230 covers driving in icy or snowy weather generally. Drive with care even if the roads have been treated; grit does not make a road dry. Keep well back from the vehicle in front, because stopping distances can be ten times greater than on dry roads. Take care when passing gritting or salting vehicles, do not overtake a snowplough unless the lane you want has been cleared, and expect conditions to change over short distances: a sheltered stretch under trees or a bridge can be ice when the open road is wet. Listen to travel bulletins and read the message signs.

Rule 231 is the technique rule, and it reads like a checklist:

1. Drive extremely carefully and avoid sudden actions. Anything abrupt, with the wheel, the brake or the throttle, is what causes a loss of control.
2. Slow speed, high gear. Drive at a slow speed in as high a gear as possible, and accelerate and brake very gently. A higher gear puts less force through the tyres, which is what stops them spinning or locking.
3. Bends. Drive particularly slowly on bends, where loss of control is most likely. Brake progressively on the straight before the bend, and once you have slowed, steer smoothly round it without touching the brakes.
4. Check your grip. Choose a safe place to brake gently and feel how the car responds. If the steering feels unresponsive, that may mean ice and the car losing its grip.
5. Listen. When travelling on ice, tyres make virtually no noise. A road that has gone quiet under you is telling you something.

Rule 126, in the general section, gives the principle behind all of it: never get closer than the overall stopping distance, at least double the gap on wet roads, and increase it still further on ice.

Fog on the same mornings

Frost and fog arrive together, and the lighting rules in the same section apply. Rule 226 says you must use headlights when visibility is seriously reduced, generally when you cannot see for more than 100 metres (328 feet). You may also use front or rear fog lights, but rule 236 says you must not use them unless visibility is seriously reduced, because they dazzle other drivers and can hide your brake lights, and you must switch them off when visibility improves. Dipped beams are the right setting in both fog and falling snow; full beam reflects back at you.

Preparation that makes the first cold drive easier

1. Tyres. The Met Office's winter page gives the legal tread depth for cars as 1.6mm and suggests at least 3mm in icy or very wet conditions, with pressures set to the figure in the manual or on the door label. Tread near the limit will already show as an advisory on the car's MOT history.
2. Screen wash. A product rated to at least -15 degrees Celsius, so the jets work on the morning you need them most.
3. Lights. Every lamp working and the lenses clean, with someone outside the car to confirm the brake lights, because rule 229 makes clean, working lights a requirement before you move.
4. The forecast and the warnings. The Met Office warnings page is the official source for ice and snow warnings; rule 228 says to check it before deciding whether the journey is essential.
5. Time. Rule 228's plainest advice is to allow more of it. Most sudden actions in snow are made by drivers who are late.

What this does not mean

This article carries no figures from our MOT data: it is the Highway Code's rules and advice and the Met Office's checks, as read on their pages today. It does not say how much longer a particular car takes to stop on ice, because that depends on the tyres, the surface, the speed and the driver, and no table can honestly give one number for it; the Code's own phrase is up to ten times greater, and it is deliberately a range. It does not replace the decision rule 228 puts first, which is whether to drive at all. On a morning with a snow or ice warning, the safest choice the Code offers is to wait.

Sources and method

This article contains no MOT statistics. Its content is the Highway Code (rules 126, 226, 228 to 231 and 236) and the Met Office winter-preparation page, as read on GOV.UK and the Met Office website on 5 November 2026. The forecast line is from the Met Office UK forecast issued at 16:00 on 4 November 2026; the warnings page carried a notice that its information may be out of date, so no warning is claimed or denied.

• GOV.UK: The Highway Code, driving in adverse weather conditions (rules 226 to 237)
• GOV.UK: The Highway Code, general rules (rule 126, stopping distances)
• Met Office: six things to do to prepare your vehicle for winter weather
• Met Office: UK weather warnings

This article is general information drawn from published test records. It is not professional, mechanical or legal advice, and an MOT pass or a clean MOT history does not guarantee that a car is roadworthy today. If you are unsure about a car, have it inspected by a qualified mechanic. You can check any vehicle's MOT history free on the official GOV.UK MOT history service.