"Driving in wet, rainy conditions requires patience, heightened caution and awareness. Visibility is poor, roads are slippery and brake times are shorter.
Drivers have to adapt accordingly. The car's tyres, windscreen wiper blades and brakes also need to be fit for the task of working in wet, arduous conditions," according to the company's spokesperson, Angelo Haggiyannes.
He stressed the importance of reducing speed in wet weather as speeding increases the risk of aquaplaning or skidding. It also takes longer to come to a stop when roads are wet and slippery.
Motorists should go light on the accelerator and easy on all their vehicle's main controls including steering, brakes and clutch. Any sudden changes or moves while driving in inclement weather can result in the car veering out of control.
"It is vital to allow yourself greater distance between vehicles and more time to react to errors and emergencies. If possible, postpone a journey rather than travelling in a bad storm. Always allow yourself more time to get where you need to be so that you don't have to drive fast or recklessly to be on time," Haggiyannes added.
Auto & General offers these safety tips:
- Stay toward the middle lanes as water tends to pool in the outside lanes
- Keep a proper following distance (three car lengths or follow the even better three seconds guideline)
- Drive in the tracks of a car ahead
- Don't follow large trucks or buses too closely
- Make sure the indicators and brake lights work. Be on the look-out for brake lights and indicators of cars ahead
- Avoid braking suddenly. If possible, first take your foot off the accelerator to slow down
- Turn your headlights on
- Make sure windscreen wipers are working properly. Always switch them on, even in light rain
- Never drive beyond the limits of visibility. At night rainy roads become especially treacherous. The glare of oncoming lights amplified by the rain on a windscreen, can cause temporary loss of visibility and add to driver fatigue
- Never drive through moving water if you can't see the ground through it; your car could be swept off the road
- When driving through a puddle of uncertain depth, go slow
- When visibility is so poor that the edges of the road or other vehicles cannot be seen at a safe distance, pull over and wait for the rain to ease up
- Use your air conditioner or heater to stop the windows of the car from fogging up.
