It might seem a little unnecessary, even patronising, for the Council to be producing thousands of leaflets to distribute around the district advising motorists on how to cope in a sudden snowfall. Don't we all know that already?

The answer to that, in too many of the last few years, has to be that apparently many of us don't. Too often the district has been grid-locked as motorists dash for their cars, slip and slide all over the roads, and finally grind to a halt.

Poor driving and badly-maintained vehicles are at least partly to blame for this almost annual fiasco. So is the panicky rush as people leave work at the same time in an attempt to beat the blizzard. Another culprit, though, has been a lack of preparedness on the part of the Council, which has seen roads ungritted during snowfalls which could have been anticipated.

The authority appears determined not to have to shoulder the blame again. It has set aside more than £1 million for a "snow plan". Its emergency services will be on 24-hour stand-by and the hi-tech ice prediction equipment has been upgraded. It does right to be ready for the worst. Last winter was a mild one, but there are no guarantees that this year's will be the same. By the law of averages, we can expect at least one heavy and inconveniently-timed snowfall.

Perhaps even sceptical motorists should study the Council's leaflet and take its recommendations on board. Then if once again they are stuck in a gridlock, at least they will be able to protest that it isn't their fault.

Converted for the new archive on 30 June 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.