Winter is icumen in ...

Had today's filthy weather not been sufficient reminder in itself that we have now reached the time of the year when road users should take care to watch for snow and ice, especially black ice, a journey I made today from West Cumbria to Manchester and back would have provided it.

Shortly after two vicious bursts of hail either side of seven am this morning I passed the first of half a dozen RTA (road traffic accident) sites of which I witnessed the aftereffects today, some quite serious. On the A66 near Bassenthwaite a car had turned completely over and was resting on it's roof.

The wise driver witnessing an accident should think "There but for the grace of God go I" (or the atheist/agnostic equivalent) and take care that next time it isn't him or her.

Just as well I did, as I had reduced speed some way below the limit when during another hailstorm I drove over what I presume must have been a patch of ice on a straight section of the M6 near Lancaster. I had a nasty few seconds. If the incident had happened on a bend, if any of the other vehicles nearby had been a bit closer, or if I had been travelling at or above the speed limit there could well have been an accident.

I don't believe I was driving without due care and attention - if I had been, I might not be here to write this post - but I've certainly taken the incident, and the sight of all the actual accidents of which I saw the aftermath today (at least three of which required ambalance call-outs) as a warning to watch out for ice and be careful about speed of travel for the rest of autumn and the coming winter.

It might also be a good idea to wrap up warmly if anyone reading this is attending a Remembrance Sunday commemoration tomorrow - it might be the same kind of weather as on one Remembrance Sunday ceremony I remember in St Albans when half a dozen people fainted with cold during the event.

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