THEY know what it’s like to get stuck in the snow – but now Basingstoke’s AA employees in Basing View are getting lessons on how to drive in wintry conditions.

Staff at Fanum House were among the thousands of people in Basing-stoke to get stuck when heavy snowfall struck the town in December 2009. Some employees even gave up on getting home and slept in the office block.

Around 20 employees attended a new winter driving tutorial in the canteen of The AA’s building, held in part to mark Road Safety Week. Other tutorials focused on issues such as drink-driving, economical driving, and speed recognition.

The lessons were led by members of AA DriveTech, which does fleet risk management and driver education training for other companies.

Ben Graham, training operations manager, said: “It’s the first year we have done this. If we are going to go into other companies and talk about duty of care, we have to start that at home.”

His tips included considering buying ‘snow shoes’ for your tyres, which will provide extra grip on snow-covered roads, and to fill up with fuel before making a journey into the snow, in case you get stuck and need to keep the engine on to keep warm.

He also recommended that drivers who venture out into the snow should pack a small shovel, appropriate clothing and food and drink.