Driving Through The Storm: Tips for Driving in Fog and Heavy Rain

Driving on the roads nowadays is hard enough with all the ever-changing road speed signs, mobile speed cameras, safety cameras, road works, other road users, and so on. Add some bad weather conditions to this, and your ability to drive has become a lot harder. In this blog, Express Lube will look at ways that can help you stay safe while driving on the roads during inclement weather conditions.

Fog:

Fog is a thick cloud of tiny water droplets suspended in the air near the ground. It forms when the air near the ground cools to the point where it can no longer hold its moisture, causing the water vapor to condense into droplets. Fog can range from light and thin to heavy and thick. Fog reduces your ability to see ahead of you and, therefore, reduces your ability to drive in a safe manner.

If you ever find yourself in heavy fog, remember the importance of your vehicle’s fog lights. By illuminating the road directly in front of your vehicle, they significantly improve your visibility. It’s also a safe practice to slow down to a more suitable speed for your driving conditions and activate your hazard lights. This will help other vehicles behind you can see your car ahead of them, enhancing overall safety.

Heavy Rain:

Just like fog, heavy rain can dramatically reduce your ability to drive in a safe manner. Whenever your visibility is reduced your ability to drive in a safe manner is also reduced.

It is recommended to slow down to a more suitable speed to match the driving conditions in heavy rain. If other vehicles around you wish to still drive at the posted road speed limit, you can move over to the left-hand lane and let them pass while you slow down to a speed that you feel more confident driving at. If needed and safe to do so, you can pull over somewhere safe and wait for the rain to pass.

Tire Health:

As covered by some of our previous blogs, the health and condition of your vehicle tires play an important role in keeping you, your family, and other road users safe. Tires perform many functions such as changing the vehicle’s direction of travel, making turns, stopping, breaking, accelerating and much more.

A vehicle will react and drive differently in wet conditions. Your ability to stop, turn, and control your vehicle is reduced in the rain. Having tires that are in good condition, correctly inflated, and with a good amount of tread left on them will be a huge benefit to your ability to control your vehicle. It is a good idea to perform a visual and physical inspection of your vehicle tires (including your spare) every month or so.

Conclusion:

It may not be often that you find yourself driving through a patch of inclement weather but when you do, it is good to know what to do. Never feel that you need to keep at the posted road speed limit if driving through some very heavy fog or heavy rain and your ability to see is reduced. You can slow down to a more suitable speed that matches the weather conditions.

Take advantage of your fog lights during fog to help improve your visibility and use your hazard lights to help other drivers see you. If you do not feel comfortable or able to drive in the conditions that you may find yourself in, you can always pull over if it is safe to do so. Safety always comes first.