Drive cautiously during wet conditions

MBOMBELA – The medical manager for Hi-Tech Security, Frederik Esterhuizen, stated that you will need to check your brakes, the tread on your tyres and your shocks before you drive in wet conditions.

“In rainy weather, worn shocks will leave your vehicle vulnerable when you aquaplane and it may result in a serious accident,” he said.

“Not only do motorists have to contend with flooding, and heavy downpours which affect visibility, many traffic lights are out of service due to the bad weather. The problem is further exacerbated by the rolling blackouts which mean many street lights aren’t working either, making driving not only tricky, but dangerous,” warns the Automobile Association of South Africa (AA).

Motorists will further need to be wary because road conditions can change within a few hours. “You must be prepared at all times” in order to avoid swerving out for potholes and into incoming traffic, the AA stated.

With unpredictable load-shedding continuing for the foreseeable future and with the rain also not clearing up, motorists and pedestrians should follow these simple precautionary rules:

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• When traffic light is off, treat them as four-way stops.
• Switch on your headlights, in order to improve your vehicles visibility.
• Avoid picking up your cellphone without a hand free kit, especially in wet conditions when you need to focus on the road.
• Ensure that your windscreen wipers are in good condition in order to keep you view of the road clear.
• Don’t drive 120 kilometres an hour on a highway just because it’s permitted. Adjust your speed, particularly if heavy rain is diminishing the view of the road ahead.
• Drive calmly in heavy traffic and maintain a safe following distance, especially on highways.
• Keep your cellphone charged in case of emergency.
• Do not drive in the emergency lanes as these need to be kept open for emergency vehicles.

ALSO READ: How to keep your car on the road in the wet

“Even though the rain is expected to ease up in the next few days, roads will still be slippery, and traffic lights which are out, and potholes which have developed, will take a while to repair. Maintain your vigilance while on the road,” the AA concluded.