Safety While Driving in the Rain -- For Flood Hit Areas!

DRIVING IN RAIN can be dangerous. The most important thing for drivers to remember is to SLOW DOWN! In rainy conditions pedestrians, stopped vehicles, and road blocks are extremely hard to spot and even harder to avoid. It takes longer to stop or adjust speed in wet weather. Here are some safe driving tips: ·        Before it starts to rain, replace old or brittle wiper blades. ·        Stay toward the middle lanes, water tends to pool in outside lanes. ·        Maintain proper following distance (three-second rule). This rule needs to be increased in wet weather. ·        Drive in the rain tracks of the vehicle ahead of you. ·        Don’t follow large trucks or busses too closely. The spray from their large tires can reduce vision. ·        Stay alert and watch for brake lights in front of you. ·        Avoid sudden use of your brakes because the water on the road might cause you to skid. If possible, take your foot off the accelerator to slow down. ·        Turn your headlights on in rainy, gloomy, foggy or overcast conditions — to help you see the road and help other drivers see you. ·        Never drive beyond the limits of visibility. The glare of oncoming lights, amplified by the rain on your windshield, can cause temporary loss of visibility while substantially increasing driver fatigue. ·        Never drive through moving water if you can’t see the ground beneath it; your vehicle could be swept off the road. ·        Avoid driving through deep water, because it can cause serious damage to a modern vehicle’s electrical system ·        When you need to stop or slow, do not brake hard or lock the wheels and risk a skid. Maintain mild pressure on the brake pedal. HYDROPLANING: Hydroplaning happens when the water in front of the tires builds up faster than the vehicle’s weight can push the water out of the way. The water pressure causes the vehicle to rise up and slide on a thin layer of water between the tires and the road. At this point, the vehicle can be completely out of contact with the road, and will be in danger of skidding or drifting out of the lane. If you find yourself hydroplaning or skidding: ·        Do not brake or turn suddenly. ·        Ease your foot off the gas until the vehicle slows and you can feel traction on the road again. ·        Turn your steering wheel in the direction of the skid. As you recover control, gently straighten the wheels. ·        If you need to brake, do it gently with a light pumping action. If your vehicle has anti-lock brakes, then brake normally because the vehicle’s computer will mimic a pumping action. There are three main factors that contribute to hydroplaning: v     Vehicle speed. As speed increases, wet traction is considerably reduced. Since hydroplaning can result in a complete loss of traction and vehicle control, you should always reduce speed when driving in wet weather. v     Tire tread depth. Maintaining adequate treading on tires and replacing them when necessary can help prevent hydroplaning. Tire experts can measure tread depth with a specially designed tread depth gauge. You should have your tire tread depth checked every 2-3 months. v     Water depth. The deeper the water, the sooner you will lose traction, although even thin water layers can cause a loss of traction, including at low speeds. CHECK YOUR BRAKES: If you successfully pass through a deep-water hazard, test your brakes. They may be saturated, and only driving very slowly and braking lightly at the same time will generate enough heat to dry them out. Be sure they are pulling evenly on all wheels before building up speed again. Remember to practice safety. Don’t learn it by accident.

Thanks and Regards,

Her Last Call was from a new Cell Phone - A Must read

Her last call was from a new cell phone... 

Do you see the motorcycle? 

               Now do you see it?
         

                      

The Honda crotch rocket rider was traveling at approximately
85 mph. The VW driver was talking on a cell phone when she
pulled out from a side street, apparently not seeing the
motorcycle. The riders reaction time was not sufficient
enough to avoid this accident. 
The car had two passengers
and the bike rider was found INSIDE the car with them. 
The Volkswagen actually flipped over from the force of impact
and landed 20 feet from where the collision took place.

All three involved (two in the car and the bike rider) were
killed instantly. This graphic demonstration was placed at
the Motorcycle Fair by the Police and Road Safety Department.. 
Pass this on to car drivers or soon to be
new drivers, or new motorcycle owners 
AND ESPECIALLY EVERYONE YOU KNOW WHO HAS A CELL PHONE!!!!!
A picture is worth a thousand words.

Save a life. 

Stop talking on Cell phones and Texting while  trying to drive.
The life you save may be your own..... or mine... 

Drive Safely - Mobile Phone Hazards

 

 

If you are trying to text, or attempting to dial, or even checking who is ringing you on the cell phone, then you are not concentrating on your driving.

The same applies if you are in conversation on your cell phone, you are not concentrating on the matter in hand, namely driving your vehicle in a safe manner because your concentration is not 100% on the road, this can put the lives of other road users or even pedestrians at risk.

Safety is a top priority at all times when driving your motor vehicle and it is for this fact that many people have tried to stop the using of cell phones whilst driving, and anybody that is found to misuse this law should be faced with a tougher sentence.

Can you use a cell phone in a motor vehicle and still be safe?

You could always pull over to the side of the road when your cell phone rings, before you attempt to answer it.

If you have a passenger in the car with you, why not let them take your call and pass the message to you.

There are many hands free kits that you can purchase to allow you to still use your cell phone and drive.

Remember though that even a hands free kit can still affect your concentration levels when driving. You must still be able to concentrate fully on your ability to drive. If you must answer an important call then it is always safer to pull over to the side of the road and stop your vehicle.

 Never drive faster than your guardian angel can fly.  ~Author Unknown

http://www.dtei.sa.gov.au/roadsafety/Safer_behaviours/inattention/mobile_phone_use