Wet and windy weather can increase the commuting challenges for motorists and make driving extremely difficult even for seasoned drivers. Bad weather has hit the UAE yet again as heavy rains, sandstorms, dust storms and strong winds have been recorded across the country. Such weather conditions can increase the risk of dangerous road situations if motorists don’t adopt a careful driving approach.
The weather has been changing from one extreme to the other during the last couple of weeks in the UAE. Besides heavy rainfall, strong winds have also been recorded across the coastal areas of the country. Strong winds can significantly reduce the visibility on roads and motorists must be more cautious while driving in such weather conditions to prevent dangerous road accidents.
Here are the safe driving practices to follow while driving in strong winds.
Plan Your Route Beforehand
You should keep yourself abreast of the weather updates and avoid driving whenever strong winds, heavy rainfall or other adverse weather conditions are in the forecast. If you cannot avoid driving in bad weather, you must plan your route beforehand to check for road blockages or traffic delays. In this way, you can avoid getting stuck in traffic jams and take alternative routes to commute safely to your destination.
Keep a Safe Distance from Heavy Vehicles
The most important thing that you need to ensure while driving in heavy winds is to keep a safe distance from heavy vehicles. These vehicles are loaded with enormous weight and can be more vulnerable to losing control in strong winds than other vehicles. It is important that you don’t drive too close to these vehicles in windy weather conditions to avoid a fatal collision in a worst-case scenario.
Avoid Distractions
Motorists must maintain their 100% attention on the road whenever they encounter heavy winds while driving. The visibility can reduce significantly, which can cause serious accidents if motorists don’t maintain their attention on the road.
Motorists must avoid using their mobile phone and should also not indulge themselves in conversation with other occupants while driving. The risk of a dangerous road accident can decrease significantly if motorists drive carefully and attentively.
Keep a Firm Grip on the Steering Wheel
It should be standard practice for all motorists to keep both hands on the steering wheel when they are driving. It becomes even more important while driving in bad weather conditions such as strong winds and heavy rain. The strong winds can potentially move a vehicle and by keeping a firm grip on the steering wheel, a driver can control the vehicle better and maneuver safely even in the most challenging circumstances.
Drive at a Slow Speed
Strong winds can affect the handling of a vehicle considerably, which is why motorists should drive at a slow speed whenever they are hit by strong winds. Slowing the speed can help reduce the impact of the strong winds and makes handling of the vehicle easier. Additionally, strong winds can deteriorate the visibility on roads and driving at a high speed in such conditions can prove to have fatal consequences.
Abu Dhabi Police has recently implemented a new policy in the emirate to maintain the safety of commuters in low visibility conditions. From April 7, speed limits will be decreased to 80 Km/h whenever the visibility will reduce to 200 metres or less. This initiative has been taken to eliminate the risk of speeding-related accidents in low visibility conditions.
Keep a Close Eye on Nervous Drivers
Driving in strong winds can be challenging even for the seasoned drivers so the level of difficulty is understandably higher for young drivers. Young drivers are the most vulnerable to committing dangerous driving mistakes in such weather conditions due to their lack of experience. Motorists should keep a close eye on such drivers and maintain a safe distance from them as they can feel nervous at any time and lose control of their vehicles.
Avoid Overtaking
One should ideally avoid overtaking while driving in strong winds as poor visibility conditions can cause a mistake in judgement. Motorists should only think about overtaking in windy conditions if they can manage to give more space (than what they normally would give) to the vehicle ahead. In this way, a dangerous side-impact crash can be avoided while driving in strong winds. Motorists must also keep in mind that they can only overtake from the left side of the vehicle ahead and overtaking from the right side is a serious traffic violation in the UAE.
Drive Safely Motorists!
Driving in windy weather conditions can take a toll on any driver, however, dangerous road situations can be avoided by adopting a defensive driving approach. Motorists should also be considerate of other drivers as they must be facing the same level of difficulty due to adverse weather conditions. Adopting a defensive approach and complying with traffic rules can minimize the risk of a dangerous road accident in strong winds.
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