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This week storm Ciara and storm Dennis hit our shores, so I thought I’d write about driving in heavy rain and high winds. I’m not talking about your average rain and wind but a real storm.
I’ve already covered aquaplaning here, so I’m going to talk about how to drive so that hopefully you don’t end up needing the advice on that subject.
Bad weather obviously increases risks for road users of all types. Rain not only decreases grip or traction, but the spray thrown up by vehicles decreases visibility significantly. Wind can make vehicles, particularly high sided or ones towing trailers much less stable.
So, first off, make sure that you are comfortable driving in stormy weather. If you are dreading a journey, then maybe that’s because you aren’t really sure that you are up to driving in those conditions. If in doubt, stay off the roads in bad weather.
Tyres come in various price ranges, and the old adage of “you get what you pay for” holds true in most cases here. So, as I’ve said before, if you are spending money on your vehicle, then spend it on decent tyres.
Use your lights! Yes, we all know that you can see where you’re going, but some people don’t have such good eyesight, and when they can’t see you properly, you’re more likely to get hit by them. I used to work with a chap who wouldn’t put his lights on until it was all but dark. His argument was that he could see just fine. Try as I might, I couldn’t get him to understand that you put your lights on so that you can be seen, rather than because you can’t see. He would say that it would be the other persons’ fault if they didn’t see him and crashed into him. My point was simply that rather than have a crash where you can blame someone else, how about not having the crash in the first place because you have your lights on?
Keeping your distance is all the more important in rainy conditions because not only will it give you more time to react to anything that happens around you, but it will give you a view of what’s ahead in terms of standing water, or water flowing across the road from overflowing drains.
If your journey is longer than about an hour, think about taking a break, to give your eyes (and nerves) a rest. If you’re concentrating properly on the road, and are not a regular user of the motorway, expect to get tired more quickly than usual.
Depending on how busy the motorway is, it’s not a bad idea to use lane three when overtaking lorries as the spray that they generate can temporarily make it all but impossible to see through. I can’t stress enough that this should only be done if it’s safe to do so, otherwise pass lorries in lane two at a reasonable speed, because if you crawl slowly past them, you’ll be in that heavy spray for a lot longer. It’s always a judgement call as to what is a safe speed, and what is in fact too slow. Remember, keeping your distance from other vehicles is the most important thing at all times. Personally, I don’t like being alongside anything for longer than necessary as it leaves me with fewer options to manoeuvre to safety.
Your scan pattern in rain should not only include what’s ahead, behind and alongside in terms of vehicles but also the road surface ahead. This is not something that you may pay much attention to in dry weather, but if you see a vehicle ahead suddenly brake, or throw up a lot of spray, this should give you warning of more surface water and allow you time to react.
All vehicles are affected by wind to different degrees and in different directions. I had a SAAB 900 many years ago, and it was brilliant in a headwind but not so great in crosswinds. As a side note, the aerodynamic design of my SAAB meant that at over about 20mph, the rear windscreen stayed completely clear even in heavy rain, something I really miss in my modern car.
If you are towing a caravan or unloaded trailer, these can make driving in strong crosswinds quite unnerving. The rotational force of the towed item can drag the towbar left and right, and this, in turn, makes your tow vehicle feel less directionally stable. The best way of dealing with this is to just keep the steering wheel steady, rather than trying to correct every little twitch. Many of you who tow regularly may well have experienced buffet as you have passed lorries, or had them pass you. I used to tow glider trailers that are very long, and the effect of wind or buffet on these is substantial.
Some particularly exposed areas of our motorways have crosswind warning signs and windsocks, and it’s wise to pay extra attention in these areas when there are high winds. There are also occasions when bridges are closed to high sided vehicles. These are defined in this graphic for the Humber Bridge.
Although it is possible for drivers to ignore the rules, it is ill-advised and if you have a crash while crossing restricted bridges you may well be prosecuted for careless driving.
Lastly, and this is just my personal opinion, try not to stay alongside high sided vehicles for longer than necessary. If they get blown sideways or worse, get blown over, you don’t want to be underneath them.
Even the police aren’t immune from getting it wrong! https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/lorry-filmed-crushing-police-car-21073466