Safety Tips For Driving In Hazardous Conditions

The weather out there is awful! Unfortunately, you have somewhere you need to be, even though the forecast isn’t very friendly. If you can, stay home and wait it out, but if you really have no choice, here are some tips for driving under bad conditions.

Heatwave – First, make sure your car’s radiator is topped off, and that your AC is functioning properly. If there’s a chance you will have to be stopped or park be sure you have a way to protect yourself and your car’s interior from the heat, you can order car shades online that will keep those harmful rays at bay. Also, make sure you have plenty of drinking water onboard, it’s easy to get dehydrated even when the AC is running! If it gets to be too much try to find a place to stop in the shade and wait for the heat of the day to cool down a bit before moving on!

Storms – If you really do need to drive home during a severe storm or flood warning, be sure to check road conditions before heading out so you will at least know what to expect, and where to expect it! Keep an emergency kit in your car at all times. If you do get caught out on the road in a severe storm be sure to turn on your headlights at the low beam setting. Always maintain a safe following distance, and avoid hitting your brakes suddenly as well as accelerating or turning quickly. Watch carefully for road line markings to make sure you don’t wander out of the middle of your lane. If visibility becomes too low, or if you begin to feel uncomfortable driving in the current conditions, try to pull completely off the road in as safe a place as possible. Be sure to give other drivers warning of your intention by signalling in advance, leave your headlights on, and switch on your hazard lights. If at all possible, avoid stopping under power lines, trees, or near waterways.

Flooding – During very heavy rains the road can begin to resemble a river! In this case, it’s best to stay in the middle of your lane and proceed forward slowly with your hazard lights flashing. Pulling off the road might land you in deeper water, the road is usually crowned so it drains off to the sides. If those are the road conditions before you head out, then don’t, just stay safe where you are and wait for the water to clear. Under no circumstances should you ever attempt to drive across a flooded road, it doesn’t take much water to push you sideways and carry you away downstream, a highly dangerous and perhaps fatal predicament to be in! If it does happen, it’s best to stay in your car for as long as possible, you are safer in there than you would be if exposed to passing debris floating downstream. Wait for rescue until it’s not safe to do so, then you just have to take your chances and swim for it!

Staying off the road completely under any of these conditions is the only way to really stay safe!