Driving in Rain

Barely four years after making an inroad into the Nigerian auto market via Elizade Autoland, JAC vehicles have become a household name rivalling Korean and Japanese models. December 10, 2017 will make it exactly four years after foremost auto distributor, Elizade Motors, decided to add another auto brand to its portfolio. On this day, the company held a big ceremony to usher in JAC brand into the country, after carrying out six months country wide test drives. At the Sheraton Hotel Club, Lagos, where the event took place, were stakeholders from public and private sectors to welcome and review the different models of the brand.

Though Elizade Autoland, sole distributor of JAC vehicles in Nigeria, had secured a distributorship deal from the JAC company a year earlier, it decided to flaunt the strength of the car by giving out different models to customers and

Experts in the automotive industry in Nigeria and others from Middle East andAfrica, at a meeting in Lagos recently, called for urgent action that will address key challenges in the sector and ensure that projected goals under the current policy are achieved. Worried over influx of substandard automotive products, poor infrastructure, unnecessary custom regulation, lack of financing scheme and others, the stakeholders, who gathered to discuss leeway and prospects of Automechanika 2018, were hopeful that the next edition of the industry’s key event, Automechanika Dubai, which holds from May 1 – 3, 2018 would create a platform that would help government’s drive to build vehicles locally in Nigeria and reduce import of fake automobile potential customers to test drive before making an official announcement. Expectedly, the verdict from customers were impressive.

One thing the test drive achieved was to clear the doubts about the age long belief that Chinese vehicles are not rugged and durable. JAC, being a leading brand from Asia, has been able to withstand the test of time, as today, its acceptability has grown.

The managing director of Elizade Autoland, Mr. Demola Ade-Ojo said recently that with his company’s pedigree in the auto business, it can only be associated with brands that will not rubbish the reputation Elizade has built over the years.

According to him, JAC is a brand that has come to stay, as he stated that the number of patronage and acceptability of the brand keeps growing as many customers discover that they can get better value for money with JAC.

He added that JAC is currently being used by parts.

Speaking at the event, Director, Policy and Planning, National Automotive Design and De that there were huge opportunities in the sector.

He said government is committed to addressing the challenges in the sector and ensure that objectives of the country’s automotive policy were achieved.

According to him, the 2018 Automechanika in Dubai is timely and remained a key platform that will help the industry in Nigeria to grow, especially in the areas addressing aftermarket challenges.

Chairman of the auto sector in the Manufacturers Association of Nigeria (MAN); Dr. D.V.C. Obi called for industrial revolution that would put Nigeria on the path of development, adding that government was not committed to making the some top blue chip companies like First bank, Access bank among others, even as he also said the brand is doing very well in the state supported public transportation scheme of Imo state.

A satisfied JAC customer, Dr. Pereira Shereola who is the Chief Executive Officer, Lagos State Agriculture Development Authority, said he converted the agency’s budget meant to purchase another brand of vehicle last year to buy a JAC T6 pick up because of the price differences. According to him, the vehicle offers satisfaction beyond his expectation due to its ruggedness, fuel efficiency, security features, reverse sensors and the driving capacity.

As a further manifestation of the acceptability of the brand, Elizade Autoland made the bold move to open a magnificent exclusive showroom on the busy Mobolaji Bank Anthony way, adjacent to the Ikeja GRA last year. The facility is said to have cost the company about N400m. sector thrive.

Obi asked the organisers of the Automechanika to consider hosting the event in Nigeria, saying that it would be more beneficial to the sector.

Regional Brand Development Manager, Messe Frankfurt Middle East,Abdelrahman Kurdieh, said Automechanika remained the largest international automotive aftermarket trade exhibition in the wider Middle East and offer opportunities capable of helping market to growth in Nigeria.

Apart from the six sections of the fair; Parts & Components, Electronics & Systems, Repair & Maintenance, Tyres & Batteries, Service Station & Car Wash and Accessories & Tuning, Kurdieh said the business matchmaking segment of the event would present stakeholders with the right opportunities. When rain begins to fall lightly, water, dust, oil and leaves cause the roadway to become slippery. Slow down at the first sign of rain, or drizzle on the road, and turn on your windscreen wipers, headlights,anddemisters.Rainaffectswhatyoucan hear, what you can see and the grip of your vehicle on the road. In wet weather, windows are more likely to mist. In rainy conditions, other vehicles are harder to see. Using your dipped headlamps especially when visibility drops below 100 metres can help you to be seen by other drivers. When it is raining, other vehicles will be harder to hear because of the noise from the rain and from your heater fan or demisters. You will therefore have to make more visual checks and effective observations to the sides of your vehicle. You must ensure that your tyres have depth tread in order to maintain your grip in wet weather conditions. The tread will allow the water to be displaced and lessen the chance of skidding. The poor weather condition rule in driving is: ‘Slow Down for Safety’ As it is harder to see far ahead in heavy rain, it will be unsafe to drive at the speed limit of the road, so you will need to slow down and drive at speed you can stop within the distance you can see to be clear. If driving in muddy condition, you may have to stop from time to time to wipe mud off your windscreen, headlights, brake lights and taillights. As a general advice, take the following precautions when driving in rain: wipers.

in front of you.

and while braking. the vehicle, by coming off the accelerator and correcting the skid (see the article on skidding).

High Winds High winds can cause severe problems for road users. Windy conditions can make driving hazardous, which can result in vehicles travelling at high speed to be unstable. When driving in windy conditions, take special care on exposed sections of road (with little vegetation) where crosswinds may gust across the road. Wind is especially difficult for drivers of trucks, trailers, high capacity buses, etc. When driving in windy conditions, it is advisable to take the following precautions: - tions when you go from a protected area to an open area and when meeting large vehicles such as trucks and buses. high winds. So you must be alert to wet or slippery areas and plan for those conditions. The general advice when driving in poor conditions such as driving at night, rain, harmattan haze, misty/foggy weather etc, as contained in Section D of the Nigerian Highway Code are as follows: · Put on your wipers; · Reduce your speed; · Ensure that your demister is functional; · Put on your headlights; · Dim your headlights in order to see and be seen; · Put on your hazard lights; · If visibility is poor, move off the road and park safely · Leave your parking lights on · Keep a safe distance from the distance in front of you

In next week’s article we shall be discussing distractions and distracted driving. For further explanations or clarification on the articles in the Essential Skills of Driving column, consult the author.

Stephen K. Dieseruvwe DirectorGeneral,DeltaStateTrafficManagementAuthority(DESTMA) **DriverTrainerandRoadSafetyConsultant **Email:sdieseruvwe@gmail.com **Tel:+2348167814928