Most of us travel at some stage over the festive period, and sharing the road with what can feel like the entire population can be stressful. This week’s tips from IAM RoadSmart’s head of driving and riding standards, Richard Gladman, give advice on driving home for Christmas…

When I started my position as young driver ambassador I soon learnt that the road safety world is a fairly small one, and you tend to see the same people in different places. As most people know each other, it’s quite a friendly and supportive community where anyone is more than happy to educate you on their respective field.

I joined IAM RoadSmart’s Marketing & Communication department recently. I’m in my third week now and have already learnt an incredible amount about driving. As I settle into the team, I’ve been asking the experts lots of questions, including some on issues that, even as a driver of over 2 years, I genuinely wasn’t too sure about.

Winter brings with it difficult driving conditions, so this is a good time to remind everyone how to drive safely when the temperature drops below zero. When we expect freezing conditions we normally get a weather warning from the Met Office, however you should always take extra care when travelling in winter.

Last week I attended the Guild of Motoring Writers’ Annual Christmas Awards in London – which before you say, is not just an excuse for a bunch of journalists to have an expensive knees up!