How do I drive safely in strong wind?
Where the gusts actually come from, how to hold the car through them, which vehicles are most at risk, and when the answer is simply not to go.
- Difficulty
- beginner
- Time
- 15 min
- Read
- 5 min
- Safety
- warning
Short answer
Slow down and hold the wheel firmly with both hands — a gust arrives without warning and the correction has to be immediate but small. The dangerous places are predictable: emerging from behind a lorry, a cutting, a bridge, a line of trees or a building, where you go from shelter to full crosswind in an instant. Leave far more room around high-sided vehicles, caravans and motorcycles, and take extra care if you are carrying a roof box or bikes.
Wind does not blow steadily on a road, and that is the whole problem. It comes in gusts, and the road itself creates a pattern of shelter and exposure that turns a steady wind into a series of sudden shoves. Driving along a sheltered cutting at 60 and then emerging onto an exposed embankment means going from no side force to full side force over the length of your car. The skill is not in fighting the wind; it is in knowing where the transition points are and being ready with two hands on the wheel a second before you reach them.
Safety
Step by step
- Check the forecast and the warnings before you go.The Met Office issues yellow, amber and red warnings, and National Highways and the bridge operators publish restrictions and closures. An amber warning for wind on your route is a reason to reconsider the journey; a red warning means do not travel.
- Slow down, particularly on exposed roads.Side force rises steeply with the vehicle's speed through the air as well as with wind speed, and lower speed also gives you more time to correct. Exposed motorways, coastal roads, embankments and moorland crossings are the places to be well below the limit.
- Hold the wheel properly with both hands.This is the situation for which the standard hand position exists. A gust demands an immediate small correction, and one hand at the bottom of the wheel cannot deliver it. Grip firmly but do not tense — a rigid grip produces over-correction.
- Anticipate the transition points.Emerging from behind a lorry, leaving a cutting, crossing a bridge or a viaduct, passing a gap in a hedge or a line of trees, coming out from behind a building or an embankment. Each one is a shelter-to-exposure boundary and each one delivers a shove. Look ahead for them and prepare.
- Give high-sided vehicles a very wide berth.Lorries, buses, vans, horseboxes and caravans present an enormous side area and can be pushed across a lane. Do not sit alongside one for longer than necessary, and leave much more space when overtaking — you will also meet a strong gust as you clear its shelter.
- Be exceptionally careful around motorcycles and cyclists.A crosswind can move a motorcycle across a lane instantly, and a rider may be leaning into it. Give far more room than usual when passing, and expect them to move sideways without warning.
- Think about what is on your own car.A roof box, roof bars, bicycles or a loaded roof rack all add side area and raise the centre of gravity, and roof bars whistle and buffet in a way that is genuinely distracting. If you are not using them, take them off — it also improves fuel economy.
- Watch for debris as much as for the wind.Branches, wheelie bins, fence panels, trampolines and roof tiles all end up on roads in a storm, and a fallen tree is the most common serious hazard. Leave room to stop, and treat any road through woodland with real caution.
- Reconsider towing entirely.A caravan or a high-sided trailer in a strong crosswind is the classic snaking scenario, and it develops very quickly. If a wind warning is in force, the honest answer is to postpone. The catalogue's towing guide covers the technique if you are already out in it.
Common mistakes
- Driving one-handed in a crosswind — The correction needed for a sudden gust is small and immediate, and it cannot be made accurately with one hand. This is the specific condition the two-handed position exists for.
- Setting off in a red weather warning because the journey seems important — Red warnings for wind mean a danger to life from flying debris and falling trees. Emergency services are stretched, roads close without notice, and the journey may not be completable anyway.
If it doesn't work
Sudden shove sideways as you pass a lorry
Cause: Leaving its wind shadow — Fix: Expect it. Both hands on the wheel and a small, immediate correction. It happens twice — once as you enter its shelter and once as you leave it.
Car wanders continuously on an exposed motorway
Cause: Steady crosswind — Fix: Slow down and accept a small constant steering input. Fighting it with large corrections makes the car weave; a light steady pressure is what holds a line.
Trailer or caravan begins to snake
Cause: Crosswind, speed, or a nose-light load — Fix: Ease off the accelerator smoothly, do not brake hard and do not steer to correct. Let it settle, then reduce speed considerably. The catalogue's towing guide covers loading, which is the underlying fix.
Bridge closed or restricted
Cause: Wind speeds above the operating threshold — Fix: Take the diversion. Bridge closures are graduated by vehicle type for good reason, and high-sided vehicles are restricted long before cars are.
Debris on the carriageway ahead
Cause: Storm damage — Fix: Slow early, do not swerve. If it is blocking the road, report it — 999 if it is dangerous and traffic is at risk, or the National Highways line on a motorway or trunk road.
Roof box whistling and the car feeling unsettled
Cause: Additional side area and drag — Fix: Slow down. If the journey is long and the wind is strong, consider whether the load can go inside the car instead.
Questions people ask
At what wind speed does driving become dangerous?
There is no single figure, because it depends entirely on the vehicle, the load and the exposure of the road. High-sided vehicles and towed caravans are affected long before ordinary cars, which is why bridge restrictions are graduated by vehicle type. Follow the Met Office warnings and the operator restrictions rather than a number.
Is it safe to tow in strong winds?
It is the situation most likely to produce snaking, and a caravan has a very large side area. If a wind warning is in force for your route, postponing is the sensible answer. If you must travel, reduce speed substantially, make sure the load is nose-heavy and low, and avoid exposed routes.
What should I do if a tree comes down ahead of me?
Slow and stop at a safe distance rather than swerving, put the hazard lights on, and do not attempt to move a large branch on a live carriageway. Call 999 if the road is blocked and traffic is approaching at speed.