Let us not blame the slippery road for the accident! Think!

As I opened my Facebook profile and spotted a few friends commenting on the rainy weather in Gauteng, I knew it would not be long before I receive the first accident reports! Shortly before 9h00 the first report appeared on the News24 website.

It revealed that the first of 2 accidents happened on the N14. Two people were seriously injured and evacuated to hospital. A police spokesperson commented that the accident might be attributed to the slippery road.

I believe however that the slippery road will rarely cause an accident – but rather our inability to alter our driver behavior. This often involves blatant stupidity and a failure to ask the following questions:

• Am I visible to pedestrians and other road users?
• How can I improve my visibility and my “being visible” to others?
• Does the wet road have an influence on my ability to bring my vehicle to a stop?
• If this is the case, is there anything I can do to increase the distance between me and other vehicles?
• What do I need to be aware of when driving in rainy conditions?

This is not brain surgery – there are some common sense steps to be taken when driving in the rain. Visit the Arrive Alive website for information about “Driving in the rain”