A ddylid gwneud mwy i hyfforddi modurwyr Prydain sut i yrru i mewn i amodau heriol y gaeaf cyn mynd i'r ffyrdd? Gan greulon yn ôl o Gymru ar yr M4 sy'n gaeth i rewi'r niwl nos Fawrth, dechreuais feddwl tybed a yw Prydain yn gwneud digon i hyfforddi ei gyrwyr i ymdopi â thywydd anodd. Mae teiars gaeaf yn cynnig budd diogelwch, ond dim ond un rhan o'r jig-so modurol yw rhoi pethau crwn du gwahanol ar bob cornel o'ch car. Nid ydynt ond cystal â'r person y tu ôl i'r olwyn lywio ac mae'n siŵr y dylai dysgu sut i yrru mewn eira, rhew a niwl fod yn elfen gynhenid arall o'r jig-so. Efallai fod y syniad ychydig yn rhy nani, ond nid wyf yn cofio cael unrhyw wersi gyrru penodol mewn amodau gwinoedd pan oeddwn yn paratoi i gymryd fy mhrs prawf gyrru, a byddwn yn bendant wedi elwa o rai. Amlygwyd fy nisgoelrwydd o brofiad gyrru eira ym mis Ionawr 2007 pan euthum i Norwy i gyd-yrru mewn rali mewn car cystadleuaeth Ford Fiesta ST. Y diwrnod cyn y digwyddiad yn ystod cyfnodau rhew cefn gwlad Norwy, yr oeddwn yn gyrru ein car llogi Suzuki Vitara i lawr ffordd goedwig a gwmpaswyd gan eira pan lithrodd allan o reolaeth ar droad chwith. Roedd yn ddigwyddiad eithaf araf, ond cyn gynted ag y dechreuodd y Vitara lithro ar yr ochr aeth popeth i mewn yn gyflym a'r peth nesaf roeddwn i'n gwybod fy mod yn edmygu ffos eira tra'n hongian i fyny i lawr – wedi'i sicrhau'n ffodus gan belen ddiogelwch y Suzuki a oedd wedi'i fuddsoddi, ond yn teimlo fel mwpet. Yr wyf yn rhoi'r ddamwain i lawr i'm diffyg profiad cyffredinol mewn amodau mor eithafol, rhywbeth Ive ers cymryd camau i gywiro. Mae darllenwyr Awtomatig yn cynnwys cyfran uchel o yrwyr medrus a gwybodus, ond i'r rhan fwyaf o'r boblogaeth, nid yw gyrru ar ffyrdd cyhoeddus eira yn ail natur fel y mae ar gyfer modurwyr Llychlyn a Nordig. Ddechrau'r flwyddyn hon euthum i'r Ffindir i gymryd rhan ym mhrofiad gyrru gaeaf Jaguar Land Rovers. Wrth i'r tymheredd blygu i minws 23 Centigrade, gyrrais Ystod Rovers a Jaguars ar gae rhew hardd ger Pukinpellontie, tua 65 milltir i'r gogledd o Helsinki. Y mwyaf defnyddiol oedd dysgu sychu cabrio Jaguar XKR-S ar llyn iâ wedi'i rewi. Dysgodd pencampwr rali menywod lluosog yn y Ffindir Minna Sillankorva yr ad-drefnu i mi o reoli sleid barhaus ar rhew, yn enwedig y finesse o fewnbwn llywio a rheolaeth gynnil sy'n angenrheidiol i gynnal y drifft. Wrth gwrs, roedd yn hwyl fawr, ac er nad yw'n wers sy'n gwbl berthnasol i gymudo dyddiol (er y gall cylchfan anobeig o eira edrych yn eithaf temtasiwn fel sosban sgid wintry) o ran adeiladu fy hyder ar ffyrdd wedi'u rhewi roedd yn amhrisiadwy. Felly pwy sy'n teimlo'n fedrus wrth rewi amodau'r ffordd? A oes unrhyw un wedi cymryd rhan mewn unrhyw fath o gwrs gyrru'r gaeaf ac a wnaeth eich gwneud yn well gyrrwr? A oes angen i ni drafferthu hyd yn oed oherwydd faint o eira a rhew a gewn? Should more be done to train Britain's motorists how to drive in challenging winter conditions before they take to the roads? Cruising back from Wales on the freezing-fog-bound M4 on Tuesday evening, I began to wonder whether Britain does enough to train its drivers to cope with difficult weather conditions. Winter tyres provide a safety benefit, but putting different black round things on each corner of your car is merely one part of the automotive jigsaw. They are only as good as the person behind the steering wheel and learning how to drive in snow, ice and fog should surely be another intrinsic element of the puzzle. Perhaps the idea is a little bit too nanny state, but I dont recall having any specific driving lessons in wintry conditions when I was preparing to take my driving test, and I definitely would have benefited from some. My lack of snow driving experience was exposed in January 2007 when I went to Norway to co-drive in a rally in a Ford Fiesta ST competition car. The day before the event in the frozen depths of the Norwegian countryside, I was driving our Suzuki Vitara hire car down a snow-covered forest road when I slid out of control on a left-hand bend. It was a fairly slow-speed incident, but as soon as the Vitara started slipping sideways everything went into fast-forward and the next thing I knew I was admiring a snow ditch while hanging upside down – fortunately secured by the seat belt of the inverted Suzuki, but feeling like a muppet. I put the accident down to my general lack of experience in such extreme conditions, something Ive since taken steps to remedy. Autocars readership contains a high proportion of skilled and knowledgeable drivers, but for most of the population, driving on snow-strewn public roads isnt second nature like it is for Scandinavian and Nordic motorists. At the start of this year I went to Finland to take part in Jaguar Land Rovers winter driving experience. As the temperature plunged to minus 23 Centigrade, I drove Range Rovers and Jaguars on a beautiful ice field near Pukinpellontie, about 65 miles north of Helsinki. Most useful was learning to drift a Jaguar XKR-S cabrio on a frozen ice lake. Multiple Finnish ladies rally champion Minna Sillankorva taught me the rudiments of controlling a sustained slide on ice, not least the finesse of steering input and subtle throttle control necessary to maintain the drift. Of course it was great fun, and although it isnt a lesson strictly applicable to a daily commute (although a desolate snow-covered roundabout can look quite tempting as a wintry skid pan) in terms of building my confidence on frozen roads it was invaluable. So who feels adept in freezing road conditions? Has anyone taken part in any kind of winter driving course and did it make you a better driver? Do we even need to bother due to the amount of snow and ice we get?