Motor insurers expect an increase in claims following Britain's second day of disruption on the roads. This comes as the country copes with arctic weather conditions.
Motor insurers can expect an increase in claims following Britain's second day of disruption on the roads. This comes as the country copes with arctic weather conditions.
The AA received 1,500 calls an hour - double the usual number - as motorists struggled to get to their destination. Motorists faced long delays as parts of the A1 and A14 remained closed, while the M1 and M25 became heavily congested because of accidents.
It emerged that some councils had been too frugal on road salting. Head of roads and transport policy at the AA Paul Watters said: "Several county councils, which are responsible for the smaller roads, have gritted only 20% of their networks to save money. Considering the amount of road tax we pay, they should be increasing their networks."
Pre-wetting the salt before spreading it has been found to be more effective at keeping the roads clear than dry salting. However to add pre-wetting tanks to each £70,000 gritter costs up to £10,000, while each depot would need equipment costing around £30,000.
Watters added: "Pre-wetting is a good idea for certain circumstances. It means you don't need such a high spread rate and it starts working more quickly."
The Meteorological Office expect the cold snap to break soon and predict fine weather tomorrow.
