| This morning as I was driving to work in the | | | | more slowly in the bad weather you should |
| heavy gale force winds I started to wonder | | | | expect your journey to take longer than usual |
| about safety when driving in bad weather | | | | and therefore leave extra time. You definitely |
| conditions- so this morning I did a bit of research | | | | don't want to be speeding to make up the time! |
| to bring you the definitive guide! | | | | Stopping distances are also more important in the |
| Obviously the main factors that keep you on the | | | | bad weather - rain in particular. You should make |
| road are the weight of your vehicle - so if you | | | | sure that you leave a large gap between yourself |
| are driving a little city-car along the motorways in | | | | and the vehicle in front so that if you do have to |
| the high winds you are setting yourself up for a | | | | brake suddenly you won't go straight into the |
| bumpy ride! The shape of your car will also play a | | | | vehicle in front of you. Experts in the field |
| role in your drive, obviously the more streamlined | | | | recommend leaving double the amount of room |
| your car the better it will handle in the wind. The | | | | that you would usually leave. |
| larger the surface area of your vehicle that is | | | | All sorts of weather conditions can cause havoc |
| facing the wind the greater the pushing force will | | | | on the roads, rain, wind, glare and snow. Always |
| be. | | | | reduce your speed and drive within your comfort |
| If you drive too fast in the wind you will have | | | | zone, if you don't feel safe then you shouldn't be |
| less time to react to any deviations the wind | | | | driving. |
| causes, which could be very dangerous. It is | | | | Although you should be driving at slower speeds in |
| actually safer to drive more slowly in high wind - | | | | bad weather conditions you should never slow |
| this isn't to do with being blown off course and | | | | down too fast or too suddenly. Be aware of the |
| has more to do with the reliability of your tyres. | | | | vehicles around you - particularly lorries and |
| Being blown off course has a lot to do with how | | | | caravans, as the push on their vehicles will be far |
| well your tyres grip the road. If you stop your | | | | higher than that on a car. If you drive a |
| wheels from skidding you won't slide sideways. | | | | motorbike take extra care as they are so light - |
| If the weather forecasts bad weather then you | | | | if it's really windy it is advisable to take alternative |
| should always plan ahead. As you have to drive | | | | transport as it could be too high a risk to take! |