Ice changes the way a vehicle responds. A movement that feels ordinary on a dry road may ask more of the tyres than the surface can support. Highway Code Rule 231 advises extreme care and avoiding sudden actions on icy roads.
Keep your inputs gentle
The rule advises driving slowly in as high a gear as possible, with very gentle acceleration and braking. The higher-gear advice goes alongside a low road speed: it is not an instruction to drive faster or force the vehicle into an unsuitable gear.
Think about the whole sequence before you move a control. Give yourself time to make a measured change rather than rushing into a sharp correction. The matching Short uses the channel's recorded narration to explain this reminder.
Leave room to respond
Rule 230 warns that stopping distances in icy or snowy weather can be ten times greater than on dry roads. Keep well back and take care even where a road has been treated. Conditions can change over a short distance.
Decide whether the journey is essential
Rule 228 advises against driving in icy or snowy conditions unless the journey is essential. Check the forecast before travelling. If you need to go, allow extra time and prepare for the conditions.
Quick revision check
Does using a higher gear on ice mean increasing your speed?
No. The advice combines a slow speed with as high a gear as possible, gentle acceleration and gentle braking. Read those instructions together.
The accompanying original AI-created image is an educational illustration, not a photograph of a real incident.
Official Highway Code: Rules 228, 230 and 231. Checked 20 October 2026.
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