Peculiarities of driving a car in adverse road conditions
Driving in rain, heavy fog or snowfall requires special skills from the driver, due to reduced traction of the wheels with the road surface and poor visibility. Always keep the car in good technical condition. When driving in bad weather, be especially careful. Avoid using cruise control in adverse weather conditions.
Reduce speed and drive more slowly than usual in normal weather conditions on dry road surfaces. Remember that the car's response to control will be more sluggish and slower, even if the road surface looks only slightly damp. Try to operate all the car's controls smoothly. On wet and slippery road surfaces, a sharp jerk of the steering wheel or careless pressing of the brake pedal can lead to loss of control. At the beginning of the trip, not yet fully acclimated to adverse weather conditions, exercise increased caution. This rule is especially useful when driving during snowfall.
It should be remembered that when operating a car in the warm season, many useful skills of driving a car on a slippery road surface are forgotten, which requires some time to restore them.
Be especially careful when driving in the rain, as lack of practice during the dry period does not allow you to quickly change over and adapt your reining style to the new conditions.
Note: After a long dry period, the first rains make the road surface especially slippery.
Review
For road safety in all weather conditions, it is very important to have a good view in all directions. Also make sure that your car remains clearly visible to drivers of other vehicles - remember that when driving on the highway, turning on the low beam will never hurt even in daylight. These requirements are more difficult to meet in adverse weather conditions.
Regularly check the condition of the windshield wiper blade and windshield washer nozzle. Always maintain the required fluid level in the washer fluid reservoir. Add only recommended brands of fluid to the reservoir. Monitor the condition of the working elements of the windshield wipers, replace them as soon as the brushes stop cleaning the glass properly. To prevent moisture condensation on the inner surface of the glass, use air blowing on the glass, if necessary, turn on the air conditioner.
Tire grip on the road surface
Check tire inflation pressure and wear regularly (depth of pattern) their protectors. Both of these factors are extremely important in terms of good tire grip on the road surface and preventing aquaplaning, i.e. a sharp decrease in grip when driving into puddles. To ensure better vehicle control and driving safety when the winter season arrives, use studded/special winter tires.
While driving, constantly monitor the changing road conditions, which are often very unstable. The presence of wet leaves on the road may not be as dangerous as black ice. Often, a road surface that looks clean and dry can become icy in certain areas. Particularly dangerous conditions develop at air temperatures around 0°C, when puddles can alternate with ice, which makes the car's behavior especially unpredictable.
Be careful when downshifting an automatic transmission. On slippery surfaces, abrupt downshifting can cause the drive wheels to briefly slip and the vehicle to skid
The driver must exercise particular caution and attention when overtaking. Equally, you must be careful when your car is being overtaken by other vehicles. Splashes of water and dirt from under the wheels of the overtaken truck can dramatically impair visibility through the windshield. A gust of crosswind when overtaking a truck or bus is dangerous due to loss of control.