SOMERSET Highways has unveiled its plans to keep traffic moving and prevent accidents this winter.

Road bosses aim to keep the county's main routes open whatever the weather, but they are reminding motorists to take care and prepare for delays in bad weather.

At 60mph in icy conditions braking distances can increase from 33 car lengths to 195. If the weathermen forecast a cold snap gritting lorries will be sent out to pre-salt a 'priority network' of 1,450km, which equates to about 22 per cent of the county's roads.

A further 500km will be salted only when the most important roads have been dealt with and cold weather or snow is likely to persist for most of the day.

The same arrangements are in place for snow ploughs to be used if blizzard conditions are experienced.

Precautionary salting is normally carried out in the early evening or morning before frost has the chance to set in.

But if frost follows rain or freezing occurs unexpectedly there may not be time to salt the whole of the priority network before drivers begin their morning journeys.