Our motoring correspondent Steph Savill runs Sussex-based FOXY Lady Drivers Club, the UK’s only motoring club to help women save money on their motoring bills.

Just in case we haven’t seen the back of winter yet, it’s best to be prepared for the worst. I well remember a three-hour journey on suddenly snowbound motorways that took me a stressful eight hours driving home; neither I nor my car was ready for this. So here are some practical tips, in case your car breaks down and/or to help you through any really bad weather that might be on its way to Sussex.

1. A surprising number of women drive without emergency breakdown cover. I never recommend this. Please check that any policy is valid and if you don’t have cover please make this a priority on your 2015 shopping list. Women driving alone can be particularly vulnerable when their car lets them down unexpectedly.

2. Your tyres are vital. They need better tread than ever to give you grip and help you stop on icy, snowy and wet roads. If it’s a while since you checked yours (or had them checked), please do. If their tread is less than 3mm, they are approaching the legal limit so best to buy new ones now. Always the best ones you can afford – they’ll last longer.

3. Have a torch in your car as an absolute essential. With street lighting often turned off during the night it’s nigh on impossible to see what the problem might be otherwise, under the bonnet and in the dark.

4. Make sure you have a fully charged mobile phone with you with the number of your breakdown service provider stored. I have a small battery pack to recharge mine, just in case.

5. If your car breaks down on the motorway you should wait for help on the hard shoulder. Leave your car and stand to the left side of it behind the barrier – yes, even in the cold or wet weather. A significant number of serious accidents on motorways involve collisions with vehicles on the hard shoulder.

6. If you break down in cold weather, your body temperature can fall rapidly. A useful precaution is to have a supply of warm clothes and a blanket perhaps, to keep you warm. Just in case...

7. Don’t rely solely on a satnav to guide you on your journey. There will be times when this loses its signal so have a road atlas to hand, in case you get lost.

8. Keep a mini first aid kit in your car and be aware of/top up its contents. You never know when you might need this.

9. With minimum hours of daylight during the depths of winter, ensuring you and your car are visible matters more than ever. Keep your windows and lights clean, especially after driving through gritted or muddy roads, and always carry a red warning triangle and high visibility vest in case of breakdown.

10. A small bag of sand or an old bit of carpet will give you better traction and could get you going when your wheels are left spinning in snow or on ice. It makes sense to carry one of these in your car boot throughout the winter.

My final advice is to stay off the roads altogether when conditions are bad. I hope we get a mild February on Sussex roads, but I doubt it.

If you have some motoring-related feedback you’d like to share, please mark this for the attention of Steph via womenactually@theargus.co.uk