Frosts are likely to result in icy roads over the this week and it's likely to continue throughout winter.

While Council have a contractor who grits the roads when icy, the best preventative measures to take are de-icing your windows in the mornings and driving to the conditions.

Council contractors monitor road temperatures in the early hours of the morning to assess areas that need grit, however it takes time for them to move throughout the District.

Council Roading Operations Team Leader, Carl Grabowski says, “Routes that are known to have ice forming on the road are targeted first, particularly shaded areas and curves. But after a frost road users should anticipate ice on all parts of the network and adjust their driving accordingly.”

Roads that travel east to west are particularly bad where there are shelterbelts, such as on parts of Tram Road and South Eyre Road. Ice can remain on the road all day, so care needs to be taken at all times.

Rreducing speed is the most effective way to avoid getting into trouble. If you hit ice at any speed, your vehicle has little or no traction, so lowering your speed will help reduce the consequences should you get into trouble – drive to the conditions.

Some key tips for driving to the conditions include:

• Check your vehicle is winter-ready - tyres are in good condition and at correct pressure, windscreen wipers are clean and work well, windscreens, windows and mirrors are clear of ice and moisture
• Adjust your speed appropriately
• Allow extra time for your journey
• Leave more space between you and other vehicles
• Make sure you have your headlights on in fog and low light
• Avoid braking or accelerating suddenly
• Pay attention to signage with warnings of ice and grit
• Familiarise yourself with what technology your vehicle does or doesn’t have, such as Antilock Braking System (ABS), and know the correct way to operate your vehicle in all conditions.