Driving Safety in Extreme Weather Conditions

When you are behind the wheel you hold a risk that can be fatal for you or others if you drive the vehicle unsafely. Every day thousands of traffic accidents happen around the globe in which people get injured or sometimes lose their life due to these accidents. Traffic accidents are preventable if we follow driving safety rules and don't count it as just a move from point A to B.  Further, there are certain laws that bound everyone on the road to be careful on the road while driving. 

In this article, we will discuss driving safety tips in extreme weather conditions that include fog conditions, heavy rain, black ice, snow, dust storm, and wind storm. At the end of this article, we will share some general driving safety tips which could help readers regarding driving in normal conditions.

Before jumping into a detailed discussion on driving safety in extreme weather conditions we must understand that prevention is better than cure, therefore our first choice of safety during extreme weather conditions is not to drive and stay in a safe place until the condition gets normalized. If it is a compulsion or an emergency then we can drive with mindfulness and preparation.

General Driving Safety Tips

1. Do not drive if your health condition is not well 
2. Keep first aid box and a fire extinguisher in the vehicle for any emergency
3. Do all physical checks of the vehicle before starting the journey
4. Adjust your seat and seat belt according to your body
5. Adjust mirrors according to your view angle 
6. Check windscreen wipers
7. Check fuel and engine oil
8. Check the air in tires and brakes 
9. Practice defensive driving
10. Follow traffic rules and traffic signs 
11. Be predictable for others to clear your lane
12. Slow your speed on U-turns or exchanges 
13. Do not talk or text on the phone while driving
14. Keep a safe distance from other vehicles ahead of you. It can be 2-3 sec when your speed is 50 km/hr. 
15. Keep one-meter safe distance on both sides
16. Check headlights and emergency indicators 
17. Show patience and never overtake Bentley 
18. Look far ahead to predict the prevailing situation and timely reaction 
19. Take appropriate rest before and after driving
20. Keep yourself update on traffic updates and weather forecast and plan accordingly 

Driving Safety in Fog Condition

1. Slow down you speed to react timely 
2. Use fog lights
3. Never turn on bright headlights because the water droplets in fog can diffract the light
4. Turn-On the low beam lights if you don't have fog lights
5. Open windows to listen the surrounding to compensate visibility issue
6. Stick to your road lane never takeover or change your lane 
7.  Turn-On the emergency lights behind the vehicle to communicate your position and speed to the other vehicles behind
8. Focus on driving and avoid any multitasking during driving
9.  If there is zero visibility don't drive further and stay on the side of the road until the situation gets normal.
10. Inform your location and status to your family or emergency helpline if you have no option than to stay aside.

Driving Safety in Heavy Rain

1. Check windscreen wipers and replace them once annually to ensure their effectiveness
2. Turn-On the headlights to see the road clearance and visible for others 
3. Slow down your speed to react timely
4. Keep a safe distance from other vehicles which can be 2-3 Sec of vehicle speed is 50 Km/hr.
5. Don't drive if the water is accumulated to half of the tire height and take a diversion 
6. Tick to your driving lane never takeover the driving lane
7. Prevent heavy transport vehicles in the rain as the water can reflect with trust when they bypass
8. Turn on the radio to get the latest weather updates and traffic situation
9. Stop and stay aside if the weather gets further worsen and wait until rain stop or lower
10. Inform your location and status to your family or emergency helpline if you have no option than to stay aside.

Driving Safety in Black-Ice

1. Do not panic stay calm if when hit black-ice
2. Do not apply sudden break or pump bread if you encounter black-Ice
3. Keep your steering in the same direction and don't try to turn and adjust
4. Put-off your feet from the accelerator and go slow and steadily 
5. Avoid stopping if possible to prevent uncontrolled slip
6. Keep a safe distance from other vehicles 
7. Turn on the road for weather updates including the temperature of the vicinity 
8. If you continually encounter the black ice patched than slowly stop the vehicle in a safe and clear spot and weather for an increase in temperature
9. Turn-On emergency lights indicator to communicate your position and condition to other vehicles  
10. Inform your location and status to your family or emergency helpline if you have no option than to stay aside

Driving Safety in Snow

1. Look far ahead to prepare for any snowdrift or gust
2. Drive carefully and slowly
3. keep Headlights turn-on 
4. learn how to deal with skids
5. Weather fit wheel can be very effective and helpful
6. Inform your location and status to your family or emergency helpline if you have no option than to stay aside

Driving Safety in Dust Storm

1. Avoid drive in a dust storm if possible
2. Slow the vehicle to appropriate speed where you can easily to react
3. Make sure your headlights on when you drive through a dust storm
4. Never stop the vehicle to avoid collision with vehicles behind you
5. Keep your horn on to let the other your position 
6. If you decide to stop then wait for parking space or space off the road 
7. Turn off all lights when reached parking or off-road 
8. Stay inside vehicle till the storm passes
9. Listen to the radio for weather updates and react accordingly
10. Inform your location and status to your family or emergency helpline if you have no option than to stay aside

Driving in Wind Storm

1. Drive slowly across wind storm because the wind propels the vehicle momentum and driver can lose control of the vehicle
2. Hold the steering firmly with both hands and prepare for gusts or jerks of wind 
3. Keep a safe distance from other vehicles especially from HTV and two-wheelers
4. Turn -On radio and listen to the weather forecast and plan ahead accordingly 
5. Never open winds or roof opening in a wind storm
6. Inform your location and status to your family or emergency helpline if you have no option than to stay aside