To think that British people need to get better at winter?

[honeytea]

I have noticed lots of people worrying about the cold weather and their DC coming to harm due to eating/sleeping/playing outside.

I am confused as to why in a country that we all know has miserable weather for much most of the year some children don't have clothing that enables them to spend time outside. The risk of vitamin D deficiency, the higher chance of getting ill when inside and childhood weight issues could all be made better if kids were encouraged to spend more time outside.

I know it isn't all families, I have just been supprised at the amount of people worrying about thier children being damaged by winter weather. It doesn't even get very cold in the UK, nothing a pair of breathable woolen thermal underwear and a good coat/all in one wouldn't solve.

I am British but I now live in Sweden, here the kids at daycare/school have to spend at least 2 hours outside by law, it doesn't matter if it is raining, snowing or -10 the kids are still out playing/eating/sleeping. The schools only shut due to weather when the temp drops below -40.

AIBU to think that we need to get better at winter, it does after all happen every year for about 6 months

What also makes a huge difference for traffic is that in Nordic countries the winter tyres are of course mandatory and driving on ice is a mandatory part of driving lessons and test.

Driving on ice is NOT mandatory on driving tests in Canada. Not sure about other nordic countries.

ah sorry no idea about canada, wanted to say Norther European. Possibly not in all countries, but at least some have that as a mandatory part of training, which I think is an excellent idea.

I lived in northern Germany with my german DH, and every winter he put winter tyres on, but did not have chains.

He also loved his Grog heated in a saucepan when getting home after walking the dogs during our many very cold snowy spells. I preferred my cup of tea !!

It is cause they are rearwheel drive.

Posh mercedeses are too, and Iguess other makes such as Audi.

I once had one on loan when my little hatchback was n the garage, it was useless in the snow, I just could not reverse out of my drive.

Would never choose a RWD now.

The more crap the weather, the worse the traffic and therefore the more likely we are to walk to school.

Audi's are front wheel drive. Although I did have an S-Line version which was crap on ice, my current one is fine.

I also have these in my boot which I can put on easily if I do get stuck on country lanes in snow (happened once when it came down very suddenly). Having narrowly avoided being one of the poor sods stuck on a motorway overnight (I took the route home through town instead as I'd heard about an accident just as I was setting off - it was the right call 100s of cars were stuck for 10 hours!) I also will be putting in my boot tonight the rest of my 'snow kit': sleeping bag, wellies, extra scarf, socks, giant dairy milk, 2L of water, tube of pringles, and salt/cat litter. From now until March I also won't have less than half a tank of diesel in the car. It might be excessively prepared but I like the reassurance of knowing I could spend the night in my car if I had to without freezing or being hungry/thirst.

I do think we miss a trick in the UK with driving lessons, of course a lot of people won't have lessons when it is icy/snowy but years ago when I was learning to drive everyone at school's instructors cancelled their lessons because it was snowing hard. My instructor turned up and said it would be the most useful lesson I ever had. He took me to a deserted car park and taught me how to get out of a skid etc and even found a hill (no mean feat where I was growing up!) and made me do a hill start in the snow. It was a few years before I had to drive in the snow but I remembered all the stuff he'd taught me.

acekicker, thanks for enlightening me. Guess my neighbour now knows how difficult BMWs can be on ice since he drove his into his neighbours garage!

I am English but I (personally) think I do winter very well. I have clothes that are too big for me so that I can layer up, expensive base layers, decent socks, shoes and gloves and a big down jacket.

The probem is I am STILL cold. What more can I do?

My appointment went well thanks mrsmerry :) The baby hasn't moved much so they sent me to hospital for a check up and as soon as they started the ultrasound the baby started doing starjumps. You must have been so worried falling over when pregnant poor you :(

The driving test here involves driving on ice training, and winter tires are not optional from December 1st.

They don't use chains in Sweden but I think they do in Norway because there are a lot more hills.

Chrome maybe hand/foot warmers?

I think winter driving might have been in the drivers ed video for my state. I also passed my test driving on a literal sheet of ice

I think part of the problem is that there is that urban myth circulating in the UK that if you clear the pavement outside your house and someone injures themself there you can be sued. And even if people don't actually believe it, they use it as an excuse to not do anything.

Remember that if your car gets stuck you can use the floor mats to help you get out. And I keep Kendal Mint Cake in my car in case of emergencies.

mmmm kendal mint cake, it is almost worth getting stuck if you get to eat that!

Thanks ladies, I will need to remind DH to check he has his winter emergency kit in the boot.

To the person who said about cars getting stuck for days in scotland one year, yes it was in the very bad winter 2 years ago on the motorway between Stirling and Glasgow, I think, a major one in the central belt (most highly populated area, between Glasgow and Edinburgh) anyway. What had happened was there was a major accident which completely blocked the road for ages, and then the people immediately behind were stuck cos their vehicles ran out of fuel overnight, and these vehicles caused further jams... As people left them as it was absolutely baltic and too cold to stay in cars. But it was only one night and the road was opened the next day and the abandoned vehicles were moved. It was a very unusual event, and not standard in scotland at all.

One of the main roads got closed between Exeter and Torbay in Devon in 2010/2011, cars were abandoned overnight but everyone seemed so pleased about it on the news, people set up emergancy shelters in village halls with tea and cake :)

That's the spirit honeytea tea and cake solves everything!

Did you see your thread made discussions of the day?!

I didn't see that!

I guess it is very topical

(hands around mulled wine )

I did my driving test in Sweden (hmpf at the system that wouldn't accept my forin one). You have to do a session on a driving track with a special section that they wet to make it slippery. Not that it actually taught anything more than, gosh gee, if it's slippery, you have greater turning control and shorter stopping distance if you are going slower to start with.

We shouldn't be so hard on ourselves! Moscow have had a traffic jam that's been going since Thursday! bbc report being blamed on snow and lack of preparedness by authorities and drivers who've not got winter tyres on.

In the part of Germany we lived in (North) the law relating to winter tyres was you had to have them on if it was icy/snowy. There is no specific date.

We used to put ours on at the end of September because when the weather does turn it turns really quickly and without warning. The year before last I drove to work in October in full sunshing, 8 degrees - and drove home six hours later in a blizzard. It took me 30 minutes to get to work and two hours to get home as three inches fell in under an hour and kept coming down most of the night. Being Germany the ploughs had it all cleared before I went to work the following morning.

I grew up in an area of Minnesota that was part of what's known as the "Finn Hook" because it was largely settled by Scandinavian/Nordic immigrants, and the attitude toward weather is much the same as it seems to be in Sweden. Even -30 or -40, it didn't occur to us to stay inside...you just wrap up to play pond hockey or go ice fishing or whatever. My dad chucked up out in waist deep snowdrifts with instructions to "build a fort!" :) We had one wood stove, no furnace. So I think YANBU.

I still live in Minnesota, but about five hours south of where I grew up. So it's much warmer, but still pretty snowy and the temp dips below zero often in the winter. I don't drive so DS and I have to have warm layers. This was a pic of our snowstorm last year...it was really fun actually. :)

I need one of those akpase...where can I get one?? I'm due in May and will have to bring this baby out in all weathers!

*chucked us out, I meant. :)

Acekicker, thanks fir that link, I think Dh will want some of those when we move back we'll be living on a hill in Wales, snow isn't unheard of

YANBU. I'm originally from Australia, so I should be allowed some nesh feelings and ignorance, but I adore winter, even non-proper winter where the trees are laid bare like bones. YY to gluhwein, and we in medieval England used to do wassail bowls and soulcakes and plum pottage - I blame protestantism. Still, who's for a yummy Sussex pond pudding?

Also agree about how crap UK clothes are for the cold. You need hats, fur or down coats, and warm gloves.