FREE winter safety checks will be offered to drivers in the Chester and Ellesmere Port area before the cold weather sets in. Along with partner agencies, firefighters will conduct checks on cars which will include checking lights and wipers. Tyres will also be looked at for bulges, tyre depth and pressure. Windscreen company Auto Glass will attend each event to check windscreens and repair chips or small cracks and specialist mechanics from Cheshire Fire and Rescue Service will show drivers how to check oil and water levels and explain the importance of maintaining these levels. Each driver who has a vehicle check will receive a winter driving pack including safety leaflets, tyre pressure and depth gauges and screen wash. The events in the Cheshire West borough are part of a series of similar roadshows across the area, and are aimed at cutting the number of road traffic collisions that occur in the winter months. Frances Egerton, one of the service's Road Safety Officers, said: “It's all too easy to forget to keep an eye on basic car maintenance, especially on cold, dark mornings and evenings when we're busy getting to and from work or doing the school run. “But in very poor weather a clean windscreen, working headlights and correct tyre pressure could mean the difference between staying safe and having a serious collision. “It's also really important to remember to allow extra breaking time when driving in wet or icy conditions,” she added. Details for the Winter driving events in Cheshire West and Chester are as follows: -Thursday October 11 at Morrisons, Ellesmere Port from 10am to 3pm -Friday October 19 at B&Q Sealand Road, Chester from 10am to 3pm For more information on safer driving during the winter months, visit www.cheshirefire.gov.uk/and click on ‘public safety' on the homepage. | 
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