THE COLD snap has had more than an effect on water pipes and feeding troughs – one in 10 drivers crashed in the last month during the snowy and icy weather.

That means almost 3m motorists had a run-in with another vehicle or a ‘tree’ during the ‘big freeze’ and almost half, 45%, said they had two or more ‘near misses’.

According to Continental Tyres, the average prang caused £320 worth of damage – but a third failed to own up to their wrong-doing if the accident was their fault. Another 34% avoided involving their insurance company in order to keep their ‘no claims bonus’.

Tim Bailey, a safety expert with Continental Tyres, which carried out the poll of 1000 drivers, said: “This is a shocking number of accidents in a short period and it reveals how many people are unprepared for driving in these conditions. We are not necessarily past the worst yet, as further snow and ice could arrive.”

“Motorists should take extra care in the winter, making sure their vehicle is roadworthy, especially the tyres as they have the greatest impact on handling. When the weather is particularly bad drivers should also heed advice to not use the car unless the journey is vital.”

Other points to ponder:

* Half of those polled had to dig their car out of the snow, one in five were pushed up a hill and one in 12 had to abandon their car. B

* One in three admit hitting the road without being able to see out of their windscreen properly.

* Four out of 10 don’t bother cleaning mirrors or rear windows before setting off in the winter.

* Some 70% never check tyre tread depth and fail to ensure tyres are roadworthy, and one in two never put anti-freeze in radiators.

* Four out of 10 don’t check windscreen washer bottle levels and a similar figure don’t bother to check whether their wipers are working properly.

* And, 25% don’t even bother checking if their lights are working.

As a postscript and to help avoid further problems, Mr Bailey added: “Drivers might want to consider fitting cold weather tyres on their car to increase handling and safety over the winter months. This is something that people in the UK do not do, but is standard in other European countries such as Germany, where drivers are liable to be fined if they are not equipped with the right tyres for the wintry conditions.”