Staying safe while driving in winter weather

With winter comes rain and wind, which can damage more than just your weekend plans.

Extreme winter weather can create hazards on a road or damage them. When roads are heavily affected by flooding, with debris, potholes, and damage surfaces, the road itself will most likely still be wet.

As it has been found from research by The National Road Safety Partnerships Program (NRSPP) that wet weather conditions can double your car crash risk. With 1 in 3 drivers being scared to drive in wet weather.

Although there are some drivers that are familiar with a road, yet that doesn’t always mean it’s safe to drive on. It is important to keep the following in mind when you’re driving throughout this period when we will most likely experience wet weather:

Taking care and exercising caution is important, but another way we can look out for each other on the roads in winter is to report damages on a road to your state or territory road authority.

Sometimes the weather can very quickly change, and you can suddenly find yourself driving in unexpected wet weather, such as a quick moving storm.

If this happens:

• Drive slowly—to avoid aquaplaning and skidding
• Drive with your lights on low beam (it is easier to see with low beam in fog)
• Use your air conditioner or demister to keep your windscreen clear of condensation
• Double the distance between you and the car in front
• Avoid breaking suddenly or accelerating or turning quickly—to reduce your chances of skidding
• Do not drive on unsealed roads
• Use road line markings to stay in the middle of your lane—in wet weather it is more important than ever to stay in the correct position on the road
• Do not drive on roads covered with water (even partially covered)
• Watch out for landslides—heavy rain can cause layers of rock and soil to move

After the flood it’s important to drive carefully on roads that have been reopened because they may still be drying out and remember to be on lookout for landslides as many roadsides will have exposed layers of rocks and soil that could slip.

If you are driving, please exercise a high degree of caution and if you have any doubts then don’t risk it.

As it was sadly found that between 2001-2017 that 96 Australians had passed away as a result of a vehicle flood-related fatality (NRSPP). So please, for your safety and others consider, if it’s flooded, forget it.

To learn more about the common causes of road and transport accidents, to ensure you can continue to keep yourself and others safe, please click here for more information.