Recent days have seen the first rain of the season in many regions of South Africa. Oil and grease that accumulated on the roads during the dry season will make the roads more slippery during the first downpour of the season.
Eugene Herbert, CEO of MasterDrive, recommends following these procedures if your car begins to slide.
“The most crucial reaction is to gradually slow down. Avoid abrupt and forceful braking. Maintain a firm grip on the steering wheel with both hands. Consider where you want to be. While this may appear to be paradoxical, our impulse is to steer in the direction we want to go. In other words, instead of gazing at a tree in front of you, focus on where you want to be,”
Herbert advises.
The following tips can help you handle wet roads:
- Check your wiper blades to ensure that they have not weathered over winter.
- Give yourself more travel time so you do not have to rush in bad weather.
- Adjust your speed to suit the conditions, however, do not slow down unnecessarily as this is just as dangerous.
- Do not use cruise control.
- If your headlights are not already on, turn them on.
- Leave double the following distance.
- Do not forget to drive looking 12 seconds ahead.
- Brake earlier and with more caution.
- Avoid water that has pooled on the roads.
- If you cannot avoid this, drive through it slowly in case there is hidden debris or potholes.
- Driving recklessly and speeding increases the chances of hydroplaning.
- If you hydroplane, slowly lift your foot from the accelerator but do not brake harshly or move your steering wheel violently.
- If there is a section of road with fast-flowing water, rather turn around or pull over if you can safely do so. It only takes 15cm of water to lift a car off the tar.
- Consider going for driver training on a skidpan to learn how to react if you do lose control during rainy weather.
Here are some pointers to remember when you head home today.
“Experiencing problems on the road while it is raining can be a terrifying and upsetting situation.” “If you have this information memorized, you will know what to do regardless of your emotion,”
Herbert explains.
