Latest news with #MariaMcCarthy
Scottish Sun
06-05-2025
- Climate
- Scottish Sun
The £2 Aldi buy which keeps your drive ice-free as temperatures dip as low as -5C after the Bank Holiday sunny spell
One woman swears by the slightly eccentric everyday item to defrost all your gear COLD SNAP The £2 Aldi buy which keeps your drive ice-free as temperatures dip as low as -5C after the Bank Holiday sunny spell Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) BRITS are bracing for a bonkers weather U-turn as temps nosedive from sun-soaked highs to near-freezing lows. But this nifty trick will stop you skidding down your driveway in icy conditions. Sign up for Scottish Sun newsletter Sign up 2 Aldi's non-clumping cat litter for just £2.19 could be the answer to your icy woes Credit: Aldi 2 Unpredictable weather could create deadly ice Credit: Getty images A £2 product from Aldi will save the day, and it's all you need to stop your car turning into the North Pole on wheels. Just after the Met Office recorded the hottest start to May on record, temperatures plummeted to as low as -5C overnight. Only a few days after the Brits were roasted under 29C sun, motorists all over the country woke up to frosted windscreens this morning. The Met Office has now warned that freezing winds and a cold spell will sweep across the country over the next few days, leaving sub-zero temperatures in their wake. Some Brits will be petrified that their drive to work will be ever more perilous, especially with the quickly shifting temperatures increasing the likelihood of sheet ice. But have no fear, for just a couple of quid should make the roads drivable. Amazingly, cat litter can be used safely to get your wheels moving. Indeed, Aldi even has a specific 'Lightweight Non-Clumping' edition for just £2.19. That's a lot cheaper than the fancy de-icing kit from Screwfix for £9.99. Super scrimper Alysha even stuffs socks with cat litter, ties the ends and tucks them on her car dashboard. She told the Sun: 'It may sound strange, but it works wonders. 'The cat litter-filled sock stops my car windows from fogging up. 'It costs next to nothing, but it's brilliant for preventing condensation when it's cold.' Alysha really isn't kitten around, claiming that her litter trick saved her £300 on emergency towing fees. The trick might come particularly in handy in Altnaharra in Northern Scotland, which saw temperatures drop to -4.7C last night. Motoring expert Maria McCarthy told the Express: 'Spreading cat litter around the wheels is a useful hack for providing traction, or you could use the foot well mats or gather some twigs or gravel.' This applies especially if 'you return to your vehicle after it's been snowing', when you may find it 'more difficult to move off.' McCarthy continued: "'You might want to consider getting winter tyres, which have better grip in snow and ice. You can fit the tyres yourself, or ask your garage to do so. When it comes to storing them, some garage chains will send the tyres you're not currently using off to a 'tyre hotel' ."
The Irish Sun
06-05-2025
- Automotive
- The Irish Sun
The £2 Aldi buy which keeps your drive ice-free as temperatures dip as low as -5C after the Bank Holiday sunny spell
BRITS are bracing for a bonkers weather U-turn as temps nosedive from sun-soaked highs to near-freezing lows. But this nifty trick will stop you skidding down your driveway in Advertisement 2 Aldi's non-clumping cat litter for just £2.19 could be the answer to your icy woes Credit: Aldi 2 Unpredictable weather could create deadly ice Credit: Getty images A £2 product from Just after the Met Office recorded the hottest start to May on record, temperatures plummeted to as low as -5C overnight. Only a few days after the Brits were roasted under The Advertisement Some Brits will be petrified that their drive to work will be ever more perilous, especially with the quickly shifting temperatures increasing the likelihood of sheet But have no fear, for just a couple of quid should make the roads drivable. Amazingly, cat litter can be used safely to get your wheels moving. Indeed, Aldi even has a specific Advertisement Most read in Motors That's a lot cheaper than the fancy de-icing kit from Super scrimper Alysha even stuffs socks with She told the Sun: 'It may sound strange, but it works wonders. 'The cat litter-filled sock stops my car windows from fogging up. Advertisement 'It costs next to nothing, but it's brilliant for preventing condensation when it's cold.' Alysha really isn't kitten around, claiming that her litter trick saved her £300 on emergency towing fees. The trick might come particularly in handy in Altnaharra in Northern Motoring expert Maria McCarthy told Advertisement McCarthy continued: "'You might want to consider getting winter tyres, which have better grip in Tips for driving safely in icy conditions Prepare your Car before driving - scrape those windscreen, check those fluid levels including oil, screenwash and break fluid, and top up with some antifreeze Keep an Emergency Winter Kit - Breaking Down in sub zero temperatures is dangerous so its worth keeping a torch, first aid kit and some sugary snacks on hand Check your Tyres - Sounds simple but most people never do it- if its icy your much more likely to skidaroo Drive Smoothly - When driving in ice you have less grip on the road, if you suddenly jerk this is when you start sliding. Keep at a distance from other drivers - You need a bigger gap when conditions are worse because it takes longer to break Be wary when driving on hills - If possible its best to avoid them in sketchy weather conditions. If absolutely necessary go slow gradually going down the gears and use the side of the wheel as a break in a jam. Brake gently - Braking heavily can make tyres lock, which means you are more likely to lose control. Brake more gently than you would in normal conditions.
BBC News
10-03-2025
- Automotive
- BBC News
A third of drivers feel unsafe on smart motorways
The smart-motorway on the M4 in Berkshire "doesn't feel safe" -according to one-in-three drivers surveyed by the Basingstoke-based breakdown company's new survey of more than 13,500 drivers suggested a third of recipients felt "unsafe" on these types of smart-motorways the hard shoulder is another driving lane, and emergency areas are placed individually across the Highways said that the data shows that smart motorways are the safest roads in the country. A smart motorway is a section of motorway that uses technology to manage traffic flow, and reduce first smart motorway was trialled on the M42 in 2006, with the opening of the hard shoulder to traffic at times of peak congestion. Motoring journalist Maria McCarthy said: "I think a lot of people have felt very sceptical and anti-smart motorways since they were introduced and since then there has been lots of concerns and deaths that could have been preventable. "National Highways latest figures suggest that if you breakdown on a smart motorway without a hard shoulder that you are three times more likely to be killed or seriously injured."National Highways said many more new emergency areas are being installed, and statistically smart-motorways are the safest kind of McCarthy said: "I think traditionally we have always had a hard shoulder and it's been there for a reason."If you are in any sort of difficulty, if you run out of fuel, always pull over to the hard shoulder and I think that gives people a sense of comfort."Ms McCarthy explained "the technology doesn't always work, there is a thing called stopped vehicle detection which is meant to work out if somebody is in difficulties."That is then conveyed to the control room and it takes another three minutes for the big red cross sign to be switched on." In 2022, Pulvinder Dhillon, a 68-year-old grandmother, was killed after her car broke down on the M4 westbound near Theale, in lane Dhillon's story was covered in a look into smart-motorways by the BBC's Panorama team spoke with families who said they were let down by the technology that was meant to save their loved ones. You can follow BBC Berkshire on Facebook, X (Twitter), or Instagram.
