Wet roads call for increased vigilance

After enjoying a virtual accident-free Christmas and New Year holiday period, hopes were high that drivers had at last heeded warnings and were taking to the roads with far greater caution.

Alas, the past month has seen a catalogue of fatal accidents, with death and heartbreak making headlines in almost every edition of this newspaper.

And very often it has been innocent parties who have been killed.

A number of these accidents involved high speeds, although as has often been said, speed alone is not the cause of car crashes.

Some may also have involved drunken drivers, but mostly the common factor has been wet roads.

With the blessing of recent rains has come the reality that drivers simply do not adjust to the conditions.

It has become almost predictable, especially at known ‘hot spots’ that wet roads will result in accident fatalities.

Again, wet roads alone do not necessarily cause accidents, not if extra caution is taken.

The reality is: drivers just do not slow down in the rain.

We fail to adjust to the conditions, which often include spilled diesel coming to the surface and making the tarmac slippery.

Almost always, driver error is to blame, although on occasion the condition of the road – potholes and accumulated water on the surface causing aquaplaning – has a negative impact.

Sharing the roads during heavy downpours is a daunting experience, as many could attest over the past weeks.

Simple observation revealed how many drivers did not take the vital precaution of switching on their vehicle lights.

Thus their own vision was impaired; plus they were not clearly seen by those driving towards or behind them.

Following distances were not respected in many instances, with impatient drivers seeing the slowdown in traffic as an opportunity to overtake and ‘get there quicker’.

Failure to demist the interior of windscreens, broken wiper blades, tyres in poor shape, and lack of appreciation of the effect water has on the braking system all contribute to the chaos and the death statistics.

Few South Africans take advanced driving courses, which teach the skills needed in the wet.

For those who don’t - slowing down is the best option.