There are many obstacles to safe driving. As an example, the sunlight that shines through the trees may feel like a strobe of bright light that repeatedly blind us. There are many factors that can significantly affect our driving performance. There are simple things that we can do, such as determine when sun shines dirently into our eyes. Because we will need to have excellent awareness of things around us, we should have clear views of everything. If the heat inside the car starts to become unbearable, we should turn on the air conditioner. Heat build up may cause us to lose focus. We should also be aware that the tarmac will tend to soften and the steering wheel will be a bit harder to turn.
Also, when it’s been raining for hours, the road could be soaked wet and it becomes slippery, especially if there are water pools. When it’s raining, we should make sure drive more slowly and we should be aware that the stopping distance will increase. Observing objects outside the car can be a big problem, especially if it’s also misty. It is obvious that we shouldn’t tailgate the car in front of us. When we drive too fast on a very wet road, our car could start “aquaplane”. It means that we are losing control and the best way is to release the accelerator slowly. Braking too quickly may not do any good. When we start to lose control on a rainy road, we should make sure to regain control of our car.
Depending on the position of the light sources, road markings can become invisible. If we can’t see them, it is a good idea to slow down a bit, so we have more time to read those signs. Strong winds could cause instability, especially during high speed driving. If we feel that the weave slightly on its own, this could be caused by strong winds. In severe storm, winds can literally uproot trees. When storm suddenly appears out of nowhere, we should stop the car, but we should look for place to shield our car from flying debris. It means that we should be able to determine the direction of the wind. Gaps between big building could create strong gusts and make our car unstable. Again, during severe stor, we should have plenty of room between us and other drivers.
Fog could also cause problems when driving during long distance trips. It is tiresome to try to focus on what’s on the road. If the fog is especially thick, we should consider whether we need to continue driving. Using headlights won’t help, in fact; we may actually create a white wall in front of us with full beam lights. Fig lights can be used when the fog is light to moderate. Depending on the thickness of the fog; we need to drive slower. Fog lights should be switched off when the seeing distance is farther than 100 meters. When in a queue, fog lights should be switched off as well to avoid blinding the car in front of us.
