Hello, my name is David. Welcome to my blog. There is nothing I like more than hitting the open road and going for a drive in my car. I have always loved everything to do with automobiles. When I was a boy, I had a collection of 208 different toy cars which I would play with all day long. As soon as I was old enough, I began taking driving lessons and the day I passed was the best day of my life. Although I am not a mechanic, my dad taught me lots of neat tricks so I can keep my car in top condition. I hope you enjoy my blog.
In an ideal world all your driving lessons and your driving test would take place on fine, dry days. However, the weather can't be relied on to oblige with cloudless skies whenever you get behind the wheel. As the world becomes more prone to severe weather events, here are some timely tips on how to drive safely when the heavens open.
Visibility
You can't drive safely and effectively if you can't see where you're going! Humidity and damp clothing will cause the windows in your car to fog-up very quickly. You may not be driving a car that you are familiar with when you take driving lessons or sit your driving test, so always take a few minutes to locate the rear window demister, air conditioning, heater, and fan controls. Make sure everything's adjusted so that all the windows are clear and you have good all-round visibility before you move off. Don't forget to wipe mist from your rear view mirror.
If your coat is damp or wet, it's a good idea to remove it and put in the boot to reduce dampness and the likelihood of misting-up the windows.
Keep your distance
When the roads are wet, the friction between your tyres and the tarmac is greatly reduced, especially if you are driving through puddles of standing water. Always leave double the usual stopping distance you'd allow when the roads are dry between you and the vehicle in front and moderate your speed.
Remember too that periods of heavy rain can wash gravel and loose soil onto the road surface, especially on rural roads, making conditions slippery. Be especially when driving at night in areas where there are no street lights.
When overtaking cyclists on wet days, allow plenty of room, just in case a puddle masks a hole in the road and causes the cyclist to wobble into your path, or fall off.
Floods
Driving through areas of flooding can be extremely dangerous. Always tackle the flooded area one car at a time; i.e. if there's someone coming towards you, let them go through first and wait until the car in front of you has gone through before proceeding. This will give you an idea of just how deep the water is and will prevent your car being swamped and potentially stalling. If the water is deep enough to cover the car's exhaust pipe, turn around; water could be sucked into the exhaust and your car will stall, leaving you stuck.
When driving through a flood, put your car into a low gear and drive through the water slowly, keeping your revs high. This prevents a bow wave developing that could flood your engine and cause your car to stall. Drive in the centre of the road; the water will be deepest at the edges where the camber of the road is steeper.
Never ignore a 'Road Closed' sign or try to drive through a fast-flowing ford in the road, even if it's usually passable; even a small amount of fast-flowing water could be enough to sweep a car away.
When you've safely reached the other side of the water, dry your brakes off and test them by tapping the brake pedal gently with your left foot.
In conclusion
There's no need to fear having driving lessons or taking your driving test in wet weather as long as you moderate your driving according to the prevailing conditions. For more information, contact companies like Road Ready.
Share8 February 2016
