TIPS FOR DRIVING IN THE RAIN
We have now progressed with the rainy season and driving is constantly a daunting task. Extra caution as well as concentration is needed on the road as most accidents occur when it is raining. There are tips that one should always keep in mind to lower the chances of being involved in an accident this rainy season. With the proliferation of pot-holes, the task certainly requires extra- caution.
Slow down: This should be obvious but people are so used to driving at certain speeds on certain roads that sometimes they forget the need to slow down when it starts to rain. You should always slow down when driving in wet weather because it takes longer to adjust or stop in wet weather. Make sure you leave a larger gap between your car and the car in front in wet weather, because, if you have to hit the brakes hard, your tyres will lock up, and hydroplane and you will hit the car in front of you. (Hydroplaning happens when the tyres of your vehicle are riding on the top of a layer of water and have completely lost contact with the road.)
Check your tyres: You should always check your tyres on a regular basis. Bald tyres significantly reduce your traction on wet roads, and offer little resistance to hydroplaning. When your tyres run over water, the water is displaced and it needs somewhere to go quickly. The best place is between the treads of your tyres. If your tyres are bald, the water has no place to go and you end up riding on a layer of water, like a boat.
Do not drive beyond the limit of visibility. At night, rainy roads become especially dangerous. The glare of oncoming lights, compounded by the rain on your windscreen, can cause temporary loss of visibility and also increase driver fatigue. In rainy conditions, pedestrians, livestock, and wildlife are extremely hard to spot and even harder to avoid. Heavy rain can also overload the wiper blades, allowing a continuous sheet of water to flow over the windscreen. When visibility is so limited that the edges of the road or other vehicles cannot be seen at a safe distance, it is advisable to pull over and wait for the rain to ease up. It is best to stop at rest areas but if the roadside is your only option, pull off as far as possible, and wait until the rain subsides. Keep your headlights on and turn on hazards to alert other drivers.
Do not follow heavy vehicles too closely. Don’t follow large trucks or buses too closely. The splash and spray created by their large tyres reduces your vision. Take care when passing them as well; if you must pass, do so quickly and safely.
Turn on your lights. Turn your headlights on even in light rain, or in gloomy, foggy or overcast conditions. Whenever visibility is poor or it rains, headlights are a good way to let other drivers know where you are. It’s both helpful to other travelers and makes you safer. You may be able to see cars without their headlights on, but others may not have vision or windshield wipers as good as yours.
Oily deposits – when it is raining, be careful when approaching intersections because of the oil spots on the road. Rain is most dangerous when it falls after a long, dry spell on roads that have become polished and smooth. The rain blends with oil and rubber-dust deposits on the road surface to form a treacherous skid mixture. That mixture usually builds up at intersections, where cars stop and start frequently. Take extra care immediately after it starts raining because it takes a while for the worst of the dirt and oil to get washed off.
Never drive through moving water. Never drive through moving water if you can’t see the ground through the water. Your car could be swept off the road. Generally, if the water is deeper than the bottom of your doors, it is best to turn around and find another route. Deep water can cause serious damage to a modern car’s electrical system.
Avoid off-road driving: it’s hard to judge the actual depth of puddles and you can easily become stuck, even in an SUV.
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