Heavy snow creates travel chaos across Scotland:

Heavy snow and strong winds have caused major travel disruption across large parts of Scotland.

Several schoolchildren have been injured in a coach crash on the A73 at Wiston, South Lanarkshire.

Numerous roads have been closed including the A1 at Haddington and the A9 at Drumochter in the Highlands and Blair Atholl, Perthshire.

About 19,000 homes have been left without power, including 8,000 in the Dumfries and Galloway area.

The north east and the south west are also affected.

One of the surprise dangers from heavy snow isn’t driving into a snowdrift, but instead of running out of fuel while caught in a traffic jam.

As reported by the BBC, some roads were closed due to lorries jack-knifing, which can suddenly mean having to wait for hours as the lorry is moved and the road re-opened.

Which means if you do not have sufficient diesel or petrol in your vehicle, you face breaking down.

It is vitally important for those travelling with children to ensure they have breakdown cover in place, as being caught in extreme weather can be unsettling enough, let alone being caught out.

It doesn’t matter whether you’re with the AA, RAC, Green Flag or other service – breakdown recovery remains an important service and it is far better to ensure you are protected than sorry.

If you have trouble deciding between the companies, there are some good reviews of different breakdown recovery products published at Finance Markets, providing both an AA breakdown cover review and RAC breakdown cover review.

According to the AA, there are only 24,000 registrations left available:

Mark Huggins, director of AA Financial Services, suggested that although there is only a short period left, now is the perfect time to trade in your old car while it is worth £2,000.

He said: “Not only will buyers get their hands on a new ’10′ plate car but it also seems that many people have cash available to buy them.”

There are now fewer than 24,000 scrappage registrations left and AA Financial Services advises customers to act quickly before it is too late.

The Nationwide Building Society has been pushing it’s personal loans rate for consumers to take advantage of the scheme, not least because at 7.9% it still represents the lowest rate in the UK:

Consumers looking to take advantage of the Government’s Car Scrappage Scheme will need to do so by the end of March 2010. With nearly 389,000 new vehicles purchased under the Scheme so far, there are just around 11,000 cars left for eligible consumers to make their dream purchase with a £2,000 saving1. The recent release of the new ‘10’ car registration plates may also tempt some people into making their dream purchase.

With the UK officially exiting recession, some consumers will now be feeling more confident about their spending. However, many people will need to borrow money to buy a new car and will want to get the best deal possible to finance their purchase. This means that it is just as important to shop around for the best finance options as it is for the car itself. March typically sees an increase in the number of personal loans taken out for car purchases, which is likely to be as a result of the new car registration plates being released at the same time.

Remember, the scheme ends this month!