Arnold Clark Vehicle Management

Our friends at the AA tell us that they have rescued more than one third of a million drivers during the current cold spell.

In a winter that is being described as the worst in 30 years, the UK has seen temperatures plummet causing roads to grind to a halt, schools to close, planes at airports be grounded and more snowmen built in any period since 1981.

Since the snow started on the evening of Thursday 17th December, 2009, the AA has seen unprecedented levels of demand for its services and has dealt with nearly 340,000 breakdowns (338,000) – over double the normal amount for this period.

Gritting the hard shoulder
It is good to see that the Government is taking action over the problems on the road network. It is probably sensible and pragmatic to stop salting the hard-shoulder in order to preserve dwindling salt stocks although it will make life more difficult for AA patrols.