Take it easy when driving in the rain

The rain has arrived in earnest in many parts of the country and with it comes wet, slippery roads and bad-tempered, impatient drivers.

“Along with that, the load-shedding means traffic lights aren’t working and motorists are facing delays,” says Dewald Ranft, chairperson of the Motor Industry Workshop Association (Miwa), an affiliate association of the Retail Motor Industry Organisation (RMI).

“This doesn’t, however, excuse bad behaviour on the roads. Bad behaviour only leads to accidents.”

Ranft is urging all motorists to take it easy and remember their manners.

“It’s time we brought order back to our roads and this needs to start with each one of us looking into how we can improve our behaviour while driving. Just because others may be breaking the law doesn’t mean you should,” he says.

South Africa has an exceptionally high mortality rate on our roads and so far the finger pointing hasn’t worked.

Driving responsibly also goes a long way to extending the life of your vehicle and its parts.

“Harsh braking, rapid accelerating and so on all contribute to the wear and tear on essential parts of your vehicle. It can be even worse in the rain,” he says.

So where do we start?

Ranft believes sticking to speed limits and keeping a good following distance are two easy ways to make a difference.

“Speed kills. While it may sound cliched, it’s the truth. By speeding and driving too close to other vehicles we greatly increase the chances of an accident. Speed limits and following distances have been worked out based on human response times, braking systems in vehicles and other factors. Let’s respect the science more.”

He adds that just because others are speeding, it doesn’t mean you have to.

“The far-right lane is the fast lane. Stay out of this lane if you are feeling pressured by other drivers to break the speed limit. The same applies to the yellow emergency lane.

This lane is intended for emergency vehicles, vehicles that have broken down or an escape route for vehicles to use to avoid an accident. You should not be in this lane otherwise, irrespective of what others are doing.”

Ranft adds five more tips to improve our driver behaviour: respect yellow and red traffic lights, remember what the lines on the road are there for, indicators are not an optional extra on vehicles, try and leave a little earlier for trips rather than rushing on our roads and remember your manners.

Lastly, he says it’s important to make sure your vehicle is roadworthy.

“Sadly, many drivers knowingly put their lives at risk by getting behind the wheel of a vehicle even when they know there is a problem with the car. Replace your windscreen wipers if they aren’t doing a good job. Check your lights and make sure they are all working. These are vital in this wet weather.”

The onus is on you to ensure your vehicle is safe to drive so it’s important to regularly service and maintain the vehicle and request a full safety inspection from qualified mechanics and technicians, preferably from an accredited-Miwa workshop.

Regular maintenance will ensure that the shock absorbers are in good condition, that the braking system is working properly and that all the vehicle’s safety technologies, such as ABS and airbags, are in working order.

“As South Africans, it’s time we all pulled together to help improve our daily lives. Be a responsible citizen on our roads.”

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