It is always important to pay attention when you are driving – always. Wherever you are driving, even if by some miracle you have clear roads in the middle of the day, are wide awake and know the roads like they are your best friend, paying attention is still important. It becomes all the more vital, though, when rain comes on. No matter whether it is a fairly light shower or a full-on storm, you must keep a very close eye on things because it changes the rules quite profoundly and on a number of fronts, too.
If, for example, you are right at the end of a long period of warm, dry weather and rain starts to fall, then there is every reason that you should pay attention, as much so as if it was a thunderstorm. During that dry period, all manner of dried-up detritus will have accumulated on the surface of the road, from dried oil which has dripped from the underside of a car to different kinds of dust, leaf mulch and anything else you could care to mention. When it is dry it is not a problem. But a bit of rain can turn it into a very slick topping on the road and make it more hazardous.
The main problem with rain while driving is the effect it has on your control of the car. You can be a very competent driver, but driving in the rain – especially if it was dry when you started – means you have to give things a little bit more thought. Stopping distances increase – and for that reason you should allow a bit more room between you and the car in front – up to five car lengths if at all possible when you are in continuous motion. Not only does this give you space to slow down and stop if the car in front needs to brake suddenly, but it will give the driver in front more leeway and allow them to drive without extra concerns.
Cornering is also affected quite profoundly by rain on the road surface. You need to give yourself a bit more time and room to make the turn, as the car will slip and sudden movements of the wheel can see you slide off the road altogether or worse, into the traffic behind you. The risk of aquaplaning – skimming along the top of a film of water – is very real, and can make for a very dangerous situation.
As well as the handling hazards, there is also the genuine ill-effect that rain has on visibility. When it collects on the windscreen it can make seeing out very difficult, even with the windscreen wipers on. At the very least it will affect hazard perception, so extra account should be taken for this. If the rain gets so bad that you cannot see the car in front of you, or the road, then you should find a safe place to get off the road and wait it out. It may make you late, but you would sooner be late for a meeting than have your name preceded with “the late”.
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