9 Dangers Of Driving In The Rain
-Oba Samuel
Driving in the rain is not business as usual. It’s quite different from driving under any other weather conditions.
The truth is, it’s more challenging driving while the rain is falling than the dry season. Driving in the rain will expose you to these 9 Dangers: 9 Dangers Of Driving In The Rain
- Slippery Road:
This is one of the major dangers of driving in the rain. Heavy downpour will always cause the road to be flooded which will make the road slippery. At this period, it’s dangerous to be at full speed because the slippery road may cause the car to tumble.9 Dangers Of Driving In The Rain
Solution: Drive slowly and ensure that your break is in good order before you drive out.
- Blurred Windscreen:
Drivers always battle with blur vision while driving in the rain due to the mist released by the rain. So seeing other vehicles and the state of the road will be difficult, this often lead to accidents and loss of lives.
Solution: Switch on your defroster, switch on your hazard lights and drive with care.
- Cold Weather:
Most times, when rain falls, the weather can be very cold which at the long run may cause some drivers to shiver behind the wheel. This situation may affect the driver’s action and response to shock while driving as he is battling with the cold, runny nose and at times sneezing. 9 Dangers Of Driving In The Rain
Solution: Reduce your speed, switch off the A/C and switch on the heater. Always ensure that you have a handkerchief with you in the car.
- Water-logged Roads:
Whenever rain falls, the major roads are usually full of water as a result of the flood that would have overflown the drainage system. The danger is the inability to identify potholes on the roads which make driving risky because running into it accidentally could prove to be a danger which may damage the car or injure the people in it.
Solution: Drive slowly with caution and keep your eyes on the vehicle going in front of you, so as to know the right path to follow and portions to avoid. 9 Dangers Of Driving In The Rain
- Carefree Drivers:
As you are driving in the rain, you need to be more careful about other drivers because carefree drivers during this period may cause you major losses or fatal accident. 9 Dangers Of Driving In The Rain
Solution: Drive with one hundred percent concentration, overtake with caution; give adequate gap to other vehicles in front of you and at your side. Also, ensure that your eyes are constantly on your inner and side mirrors.
- Non-functioning Wipers:
Many may not appreciate the significant of wipers in the car until when it rains. The non-functional wiper can endanger the lives of people in the vehicle as well as the car itself because it will block the vision of windscreen from seeing upcoming vehicles and the road.
Solution: Always check your wiper to ensure its workability before driving out. In the case of weak ones, remove it and replace it with better ones. You will need a clear screen before you can drive and this is what your wiper is meant to do.
- Non-functional Defroster:
According to Wikipedia, a defroster is also known as a defogger or demister. It is a system to clear condensation and thaw frost from the windshield, back glass, and/or side windows of a motor vehicle.
When driving in the rain, a non-functional defroster will make it difficult for you to see clearly because wiper alone cannot clean the windshield; you need to switch on the defroster.
Solution: Test and be sure that your defroster is working properly before hitting the road because rain will not inform you before it falls.
- Invisible Road Signs:
Road signs are there to guide and aid safe driving but during a heavy downpour, the cloud may be dark which may make the road signs invisible to road users. Many drivers have fallen into a ditch or a bend because they cannot see the sign that would have warned them of dangers ahead.
Solution: Drive with care, avoid over-speeding, especially on a road you are not familiar with. Switch-on your headlamp and watch the vehicles ahead of you.
- Faulty Vehicles: This is another danger to be careful of while driving in the rain. Most times, when rain falls, so many vehicles may break-down on the road due to a fault in the engine or its components. When this happens, some vehicles will be left in the middle of the road with a cloudy weather which will not allow you to see what is in front of you. Many have run into this parked faulty vehicles that have led to accident and loss of lives and vehicles.
Solution: Put on your headlamp, use your wipers and defroster throughout your journey and maintain your gaze at the front. Drive slowly.
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