Vehicle related safety checks from ER24

Ensure that your vehicle’s wiper blades and windshield surface condition is in an acceptable condition.

Your vehicles tires should also be checked to ensure that it has adequate tread to allow water to escape between the tire’s rubber and road surface thus allowing the wheels to grip on the road.

Remember to turn on the vehicles head lights to increase visibility in poor lighting conditions.

Adaptive driving in wet weather conditions:

A 2007 study done by the UK Transport Research Laboratory had shown that a vehicle’s stopping distance increases dramatically when driving on a wet surface. In dry weather conditions a normal sedan traveling at 60km/h has a total stopping distance of 32.4 meters. A similar vehicle’s stopping distance increases to 48.5 meters when applying brakes on a wet road surface. The increase in distance is caused by the effect of skidding on a wet surface.

Both of the above distances were measured with a total reaction time of 11 meters before the driver applied brakes. Considering that visibility in rainy conditions can be decreased dramatically, drivers are advised to increase their following distance by at least 10 meters.

With rainy and adverse weather conditions to be expected for some months still, ER24 would like to advise drivers to be extra cautious and observant of other vehicles and road surface conditions. Check the condition of the vehicle’s wear and tear parts, especially those designed to assist the driver in rainy conditions.