How to drive in heavy rain and strong winds

Driving in heavy rain

Driving in heavy rain can not only land you some costly fines, but it can also be quite dangerous. Here are some top tips for driving in heavy rain to avoid being fined and stay safe on the road:

• Watch your speed and distance with other vehicles: don’t forget, your braking distance will be twice as long in wet weather.


• Be careful of the spray on the road: This will make it much harder to see and make sure that your wipers are in good condition to be able to deal with it!


• Dipped headlights are safer to use: Using dipped headlights, even in the daytime, will make sure that your car is visible in even the worst of rain. Don’t forget to put your fog lamps on only when visibility is below 100m. Although it can be very tempting to use them on those dark winter mornings, be careful as it can dazzle other drivers and land you a £50 fine. Especially with water on the roads. A quick and easy check to know if you need your fog lights on is checking if you see the rear lights of the car in front of you. If you can see them, it’s best not to put your fog lights on. If you can’t, put them on.


• Watch out for surface water:  Make sure to always take care when driving on wet roads and adjust your speed accordingly. Speeding through a thin layer of water could cause your car to lose grip on the road, also known as aquaplaning. If this happens, don’t brake, simply ease off the accelerator and keep your hands on the steering wheel until your speed naturally decreases or you clear the water. Driving through deep water also may cause damage to your car.

Splashing pedestrians

• According to the Road Traffic Act 1988 in reference to careless and inconsiderate driving, the law states: “If a person drives a mechanically propelled vehicle on a road or other public place without due care and attention, or without reasonable consideration for other persons using the road or place, he is guilty of an offence.”


• This means that speeding up through a puddle at the side of the road to splash an unsuspecting pedestrian is actually illegal and can land you a fine of up to £5,000! The best way to avoid this is to either slow down when going through the puddle (if safe to do so) to minimise the impact or to go around the puddle and avoid it completely (again, only if safe to do so).

How to drive in strong winds

Likewise, driving in heavy wind can be just as dangerous and costly. Here are a couple of tips for driving in heavy wind:

• Keep your speed down: So short gusts of wind won’t be able to catch you out and you’ll be less likely to lose control.


• Hold the steering wheel firmly: Gusts of winds can come and go so have a firm grip on the wheel so you’re not caught off guard by them.