Top 10 Bad Weather Driving Tips
Being prepared and aware of potential hazards can avoid putting yourself in danger and damage to your vehicle.
- Is your journey essential? If you know you can avoid the journey and your route may be blocked, don’t go.
- If water is flowing quickly, find another route. As little as 30cm of flowing water can drag an average car and as little as 60cm is enough to float that car away.
- Kerb height is a good way to judge if the water is too deep, if you cannot see the kerb another route is a much better option.
- If you have to go through deep water; Keep a constant low speed, 2nd gear is best to keep it smooth, the higher revs will prevent water flowing up the exhaust.
- Check your wiper blades are in good condition, it is imperative that you can see!
- Turn your headlights on in reduced visibility so others can see you.
- Don’t go too fast through deep water, getting water in your engine intake can cause irreparable damage to your car. A bow wave can also cause damage to cars coming the other way or people and their property.
- Forced induction such as turbo or diesels should be extra careful of deep water as they are more likely to suck water into the intake and cause expensive hydro lock damage.
- Keep your fuel topped up, increased traffic, heating and getting stuck can all increase your fuel usage significantly.
- Leave a bigger gap for braking, lower friction and aqua planning can both exponentially increase stopping distances.
Stay safe on the road with all the horrible weather and let us know any more useful tips in the comments section or discuss them with us on Facebook.
