Winter ready! – safe driving in heavy rain

We are sure you will all be delighted to hear that the UK weather forecast for the next five days is…..rain.

Don’t worry too much though, weather forecasters’ minds change like the weather.

A band of heavy rain and strong wind is slowly moving across Wales, central and northern England, making driving conditions much trickier. So if you are planning on driving anywhere this weekend and in the coming rainy months, make sure you are doing it safely.

Here are some simple safe driving rules to follow when you are out and about on wet roads:

• By using dipped headlights you can be seen by other drivers much more easily.
• Don’t use rear fog lights. Rear fog lights can conceal your brake lights and also dazzle other drivers behind you.
• Obviously you will have to reduce your speed during poor conditions whilst also leaving more space between you and the vehicle in front. You will need more time to stop so give yourself a bit of extra room. The AA recommend a 3 second rule in rainy conditions.
• Be wary of large or fast-moving vehicles as they can create lots of spray, reducing your visibility of the road ahead.
• Be aware of travel updates to keep up-to-date on road closures, flooding and forecasts.
• In the event of a break down in torrential rain, be sure to keep the bonnet closed while waiting for help to arrive. Rain getting into your cars electrical systems can spell bad news.
• Driving too fast through standing water can lead your tyres to lose contact with the road (aquaplaning). When your steering suddenly becomes light, this could mean that you are aquaplaning. To regain control you have to ease off the accelerator. Make sure you do not brake but allow your speed to reduce until you regain a firm grip of the road.
• Be careful when driving through deep water. Driving too fast can cause costly damage.
• Remember to be considerate and vigilant towards other road users and try not to splash any pedestrians.

Be winter ready with Revive! and remember, always driving safe!

If you have missed any of our previous blogs on winter readiness, you can check them out by clicking here.