Know what to do before the next big storm hits
Driving is especially dangerous in inclement weather, and it pays to be prepared, Lorraine Sommerfeld says.
It’s not that the fact of the storm was a surprise; the sky had darkened and the forecast had warned of impending showers. No, what was remarkable was the intensity of the water smacking into my car on a recent trip from the cottage.
I could hear nothing but the roar of the rain, and the wiper blades were useless. And forget warning splatters, the water hit the windshield like a guillotine. All around me cars were slamming on their brakes, punching on their hazard lights and pulling to the shoulder. Only one of those is the right thing to do, according to Tim Danter, head driving instructor with Canada’s Worst Driver.
“Putting on your hazard warns other drivers you’re reducing speed and also makes you more visible. Psychologically, we’re wired to follow the car ahead, which means pulling off the highway, especially if it’s a narrow shoulder, can be dangerous. You want to constantly assess your speed and the environment and adapt accordingly,” he says.
The rain I was in was so intense it was difficult to discern lane markings. Some drivers rightly took an exit if they could, but others simply stopped on the shoulder, making themselves invisible sitting ducks on the roadway.
“You can hydroplane at 40 km/h,” says Danter. “You might not even be aware that you’ve lost that essential contact between the road and your tires until you try to steer, or hit the brakes. If you’ve been paying attention to your environment, you need to be reducing speed, which doesn’t necessarily mean hitting your brakes.”
The issue of visibility is a big one. Several cars on the highway that day didn’t have their headlights on, just the cursed daytime running lights that leave so many darkened rear ends on our roads. It’s not just about darkness at night, it’s about compromised visibility in inclement weather.
It’s easy to tell people to stay home or take extra precautions ahead of pending snowstorms or heavy rains; it’s more difficult when nature is increasingly throwing curveballs at forecasters and drivers alike. Changing global temperatures mean extreme weather events, including tornado-calibre winds and hailstorms, are occurring in places they once never did, or with alarming intensity. All pose problems for drivers, especially those who refuse to adapt their behaviour.
I confess my favourite: cars that drive into veritable lakes — roadways that are flooded. Low-lying areas can flood in minutes, yet every morning after, there will be the videos of drivers the night before who believed themselves to be immune to what was happening all around them. Modern vehicles are made to withstand many elements, but high, dirty water getting sucked into the air intake can destroy your car in seconds. You wouldn’t throw your computer in that puddle, so why would you immerse the biggest computer you own — your car?
I asked mechanic Chris Muir what leapt to mind when he saw those videos.
“Oh, spendy! Hydro-lock the engine, contaminate the brake fluid, short out a multitude of electronics, fill the transmission, axles and transfer case with water. Plus the bits inside that aren’t supposed to be drowned; carpets and underlay hold moisture, seats, headliners, etc. …”
Take a tip from the off-roaders: if you can’t see what you’re about to drive into or over, get out and look first. It might mean watching someone else screw up, but if you’re in unfamiliar territory, do a little recon first.
I’ve long contended there is no such thing as a car accident. Collision, crash, mechanical failure — all are preventable at some stage, meaning they aren’t accidents. I’ve made exceptions over the years for catastrophic medical events and meteors, but the huge human carnage and property damage we see every day is preventable. But I’m beginning to think I might have to put a huge asterisk beside some of my conclusions. Our weather is introducing some wild and crazy scenarios that will test even the best drivers (something everybody believes they are, though few actually fall into that category; we’d need more regular, rigorous testing for that to be true).
Unexpected climate incidents such as whiteouts that have been known to cause record pileups.
One point that Danter stresses is made by police and instructors, everywhere: speed. Even if you get caught in an unexpected weather system, there are still things you can do to help yourself and those around you, and they all start with reducing your speed.
“The bigger the vehicles, the more we see them come whaling in regardless of conditions,” says Danter. “These yahoos emerge like gorillas from the mist. It’s deadly,” he concludes.
Don’t drive when you can’t see, so slow down until you can. Have on your full lighting system, engage your hazard lights, leave the roadway at a clearly marked exit, (resist the urge to sit near a live lane of traffic or in one), or tuck under a bridge where you’ll be sheltered but visible.