Safety on the Road this
rainy season:
For the past
few months there have been heavy downpours in most parts of Kenya. Due to the
heavy rain, thunderstorm and lightning, there is a great risk for safety of
road users that the authorities should monitor effectively. Due to this, there
are heavy crawls with drivers fighting each other to find their way. Some do
not bother about the pedestrians on the road.
Concrete
roads are very slippery; Bridges and flyovers can also be extra slippery, so
drive carefully over these areas. More than anything goes slower in the rains.
It's that simple. Adopt a conservative driving style and plan for a longer
travel time. For instance, brake earlier and with lesser force than you would
in the dry. The taxi behind you is running on 3 year old wet drum brakes! If
you would have squeezed into that small gap on a dry day, refrain from doing so
in the rains. Steer and brake with a light touch. Prevent skids by driving
slowly and carefully, especially on the curves. A gentle approach is the key
here.
Due to heavy
rain, the visibility is also reduced and the lane markings are not clear. The
white lanes, yellow lanes and other pedestrian lanes should be painted in such
way that during night rain or bad weather conditions, these lanes can glow and
the road users are able to see them clearly. But we find roads here in Kenya
are not well marked.
What you do, avoid for safety on the
road.
•
Switch on your low beam headlights in the rains, whether night or day. Not only
can it potentially improve your vision, headlamps will also let others see you
better. Avoid using high beam in the rains as it can reflect light as well as
blind oncoming traffic.
• Use
your turn signals liberally. Strictly no sudden lane changing maneuvers either.
•
Maintain a safe distance with the car ahead, one that's twice as longer than in
the dry. Braking distances are severely affected on wet roads.
• If
you experience heavy rains on the highway, follow a conservatively driven bus /
truck with working stoplights. However, don’t follow it too closely else the
spray from its huge tyres will impair your vision.
•
Engine braking has certain advantages on slippery roads. That said, use engine
braking in a smooth transitional manner, and in a combination with your regular
brakes. Your brakes lights will let the car behind know of your intentions to
stop / slow down.
• Avoid
driving on lane cuts or lane divide lines; your car will tramline much easier
in the rains. Also, try to stay off the paint on the road (zebra crossings,
lane markers etc.) as the painted surface is low on traction.
Windscreen
/ Window fogging:
Window
fogging occurs due to a temperature difference between the inside surface of
your glass and the outside. For example, if you drive without the air-con and
all your windows are shut, the cabin is warmer than the outside, resulting in
the window fogging up from inside. On the other hand, if you run your air-con
on full blast mode, the interiors of your car will be colder than the outside.
Thus, your glasses will fog up from the outside.
• When
the windows fog from the inside, the best thing to do is to switch the air-con
on. It will clear up the screens in a jiffy. The situation is a little tricker
when the windows fog up from the outside. The ideal solution is to roll down
the windows a little, and let the air flow more or less neutralize the
temperature difference.
• It is
important to maintain the right temperature balance between the inner &
exterior sides of glass. Don't turn your air-con to full blast. Keep it at a
level which is just about comfortable. Don’t forget to keep the air-con on fresh
air / ventilation mode.
We
cannot forget the flooded areas.
• When
in a flooded area, choose the first gear, slip the clutch and keep the revs
high enough to ensure that exhaust gases are pushed out of the tail pipe. Do
NOT stop revving. The car speed matter allots keep it low. If your car stalls,
it is very difficult to start it again.
• If
you aren’t sure about the depth of the flood, do NOT drive through it. Taking
an alternate route is best. If you just have to use that stretch, wait until
another car / bus attempts to pass the flood, and gauge its depth. Never drive
through a flood unless you know how deep it is and that your car can handle it.
•
Switch off your air-con before entering the flooded area.
•
Always keep your windows slightly open when traveling through a flooded area.
If you get stuck, you can shout for help or even force the window down
• If
your car does stall, do not attempt to restart. This may lead to engine hydro
lock. You first need to check if any water has entered the air intake or
exhaust pipe.
• Once
out of the water trap, pump / tap your brakes to dry the drums and discs off.
Always be careful as you
drive not only during but all time.
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