When There’s Stormy Weather, Take Extra Care

Following our recent bout of severe weather and very strong winds it doesn’t hurt to think about the best driving techniques to cope with the conditions should we be caught out.

Strong winds can certainly unsettle your car and even change your direction of travel. This is especially true for high-sided vehicles and lighter forms of transport, like city cars or motorcycles. Most experienced drivers will be aware that, when driving across, say, flyovers for instance, the effects of cross-winds can be sudden and surprising.

The solution is grip the steering wheel firmly, thus enabling instant reaction to tug the car back onto the correct line, and also to be alert for the effects of the wind on other road users, particularly the aforementioned motorcyclists and flat-sided vehicles like lorries.

With the amount of news coverage the weather gets the days the chances are that most motorists will be aware that problems may occur. Perhaps a good idea as a consequence would be to plan your journey. If you know the local area then is it possible that there’s a route with less exposure to the weather and less risk of fallen (or falling!) trees? Choose a sheltered route if you can.

Strong winds are not always constant. They usually gust intermittently during the weather event so ensure you give cyclists, motorcyclists, lorries and buses more room than usual. They get blown around by side winds easily. Even pedestrians can be blown about, possibly into the path of  your car. Yet another thing to watch out for. Once again, overtaking high sided vehicles or driving past buildings can result in a sudden gust from the side as you clear.

Bringing out the outdoorsman in all of us would it be a good idea to watch trees and bushes on the roadside? Their movement can show how strong the wind is. Look well ahead, that way you don’t need to take your eye off the road and you can see any open, windy patches before you get to them.

It should go without saying that drivers should go slowly enough to cope with the gusts. Wind can get under a car and reduce its handling and braking significantly. Keep an eye on what is happening to other vehicles – where they are affected will give you advance warning of what might be in store.

Where there’s wind there will probably be rain. It’s inevitable. Before setting off, set the heater controls because rain can make the windows mist up in seconds. You don’t want to be fiddling with controls when you should be concentrating on the road. Even if it’s cold the air conditioning, if fitted, is great for clearing the glass in double quick time.

Put the lights on. These days drivers are pretty good at this and most folk will switch on as soon as the conditions demand. As a rule of thumb, whenever you need to use your wipers you should also turn your dipped headlights on. Before overtaking put your wipers on their fastest setting.

It never hurts to have a bit of a refresher so let’s hope the above has been food for thought. Drive as the weather conditions demand.