Mike Bisho
Weather-related accidents are common during road trips in Uganda and these are mainly attributed to wet roads. Most drivers are actually adamant or totally unaware of the risks that wet roads carry and so don’t take the right precautions and mentality. Some are more cautious when they see mist hence try to adjust their driving speed. Keep in mind that there is more rain than mist in Uganda and for this reason, drivers are advised to always arm themselves with the required knowledge on safe driving on wet roads;
Therefore, we have put together important tips on how to drive safely on wet roads to increase your chances of being safe and avoiding accidents. These include;
Utilize the right amount of power
It is undeniable that sometimes drivers exert too much power, which is definitely not needed when driving on wet roads. You should be able to have control on how much power your Car uses because abruptly sending too much power to the wheels on wet roads will result into wheel spin hence increasing risks of accidents, even when you are driving at low speed.
Some drivers actually don’t know that the indicated power and torque ratings of the engine are the top figures that will be produced by the engine only at certain revs. Make sure that your foot is kept calm, throttle is added steadily and gears shifted before you reach higher revs as well as the power is kept at reasonable levels.
Be extra cautious
Another tip that should go without saying, yet easily forgotten is being extra cautious when driving on wet roads. It is common for visions to be worsened during the rain, in addition to cars not having the grip that they usually do, and for this reason, you need to be careful with your input on wet roads. All these, combined with the number of drivers in the same intersection tremendously increases the possibility of accidents happening on the road.
Maintain a safe distance
Driving on wet roads means longer stopping and because some cars don’t have proper tires for driving on wet roads, it is important to always be extra alerts at stop signs as well as red lights. The golden rule here is that braking distances will increase dramatically on wet roads and these are influenced by a number of factors that include your speed, amount of water on the road, and weight of the car you are driving. The constant here is that braking distance is not similar as in dry conditions.
Choose your tires carefully
Drivers should learn to invest in good tires, not based on appearance or price but rather a good tread design as well as rubber compounds that provide improved wet road driving capabilities. A number of technical points explain why this is so and these might require an entire book to exhaust them. All in all, keep in mind that you have more than a ton of steep moving at a high speed and you have your family, friends and yourself inside something spacious (your car) and the only thing that is linking all that to the road is the four pieces of rubber. For this reason, it is important to maintain those tires in a wonderful condition and even when it means replacement, it should be done on time. Similarly, always make sure that your tires are properly maintained because no tire is able to maintain good wet traction once its tread is worn below 2/32 of an inch tread depth.
Turn on your lights
Turning on your lights is not only crucial for seeing what is in front of you easily but also making sure that you are more visible to other drivers as well. Keep in mind that your tail lights are only on when the headlights are on hence turning them on will mean that you become visible to other drivers while on wet roads.
Avoid driving through flooded roads
While many drivers prefer taking risks, we say don’t drive through flooded roads for a number of reasons. Regardless of how well you know the road, you might not know what is under the water or the depth of water hence damaging your rental car in Uganda.
Other important tips for driving safely on wet roads include driving with two hands, slowing down before turning and maintaining a consistent speed throughout the turn, not accelerating or braking suddenly, and many others.
