Cars today are incomparably safer than in the past. Thanks to the new technologies supporting every component of the vehicle. However, rain remains a real threat to safe driving especially that wet conditions have a major impact on tyre grip.
While the UAE rarely experiences heavy rainfall, there is always a margin for the unexpected. Drivers are urged to make sensible driving decisions to ensure safety. According to Dubai Police, nearly 1,900 traffic accidents occurred over a single weekend in January last year due to rainfall.
As a leading global tire manufacturer, Pirelli strives to offer increased control on the road. Thanks to its engineers’ passion for innovation and their exclusive experience of F1®, Pirelli innovates tyres that offer an increased grip in order to guarantee a high level of traction, stability, and braking efficiency which translates to excellent comfort while driving.
As part of its commitment to sustain road safety, Pirelli Middle East has put together the following tips.
9 tips for UAE motorists to drive with extra safety when it rains:
- Drive cautiously – The basic rule of driving in wet conditions is simple – take more caution. Drive with moderate speed, avoid distractions and keep both hands firmly on the steering wheel. Ensuring slow turns, gentle breaking while driving, and paying extra attention to road signs ahead is essential to make sure traction is intact. Another key element is to also increase the distance between cars, ideally allowing around five seconds’ braking distance.
- Pay extra attention to road signs – It’s always important to acknowledge road signs especially in rainy weather, as it enables the driver to react in good time by adjusting their speed and stay in control of the car. In particular, drivers are advised to be aware of road signs that warn of slippery surfaces and those that announce humps and underpasses, which are at high risk of flooding. Also, it is good to use lane markings and the right edge of the road as a guide, as it helps in avoiding oncoming traffic or being blinded by oncoming headlights.
- Switch on the lights – It is the most essential and first step you should take when you are driving, and it starts raining heavily. Turn the headlights on as it will help you see clearly and also helps other vehicles see you.
- Evaluate Tyre Condition – The tyres of a car play an essential role in road safety and guarantee increased safety. However perfect the mechanical elements of a car may be, it can never be 100% efficient without fully functional high-quality tyres.
- Steer carefully – With caution and moderate speed, most dangerous situations can be averted but there is still a risk of oversteering or understeering in wet conditions. Instinct may lead to drivers accentuate steering, but the correct response is to lighten the throttle and straighten the steering wheel slightly until the wheels regain the right course.
- Ensure good visibility – drivers must deal with visibility issues caused by rain. Checking windscreen wipers and using in-car climate controls to reduce the risk of internal fogging is a must ahead of getting on the road.
- Watch out for foaming – tyres may lose grip on even a thin layer of water on the road. The rain can mix with dirt and oils deposited on the road, creating a particularly slimy emulsion, which can appear as foam emerging from the asphalt.
- Tackle Aquaplaning – Even at just 50 km/h, driving into puddles can cause aquaplaning. The best way is to release the throttle, gripping the steering wheel firmly, and lightly touching the brakes if necessary.
Aquaplaning – sometimes known as hydroplaning – is when water builds up in front of your tyres faster than the weight of your car can displace it. This forces water below the tyre, creating a layer of water between your tyre and the road. Because of this, your tyres lose their grip on the road.
- Avoid deep water – If a driver cannot easily judge the depth of floodwater, the best thing to do is to be extra cautious. Water puddles could conceal a pothole capable of causing serious damage to tyres, rims and suspension – or even loss of control. The same advice applies to flooding, where the main risk of driving through deep water is inadvertently drawing it into the engine or getting the electrical system wet.
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Top photo from unsplash; Pirelli photo supplied.
