Australia is renowned for extreme, severe and unpredictable weather. It is not unusual in cities such as Melbourne to experience four seasons in a day or for parts of Queensland to have a strong tropical downpour amidst the sweltering peak summer season in January. Storms are just one of the many common and intense weather phenomena here and since owning and driving a car is an integral part of living in Australia, we need to prepare ourselves to drive safely in all types of weather conditions including through a storm. Below is an easy to understand and follow guide and checklist on how to drive safely during a storm:
Keep yourself informed: Use social media, weather apps, news channels and the radio to stay updated with the status and progress of the storm and decide when is the best and safest time to venture out onto the roads in your car accordingly. http://www.abc.net.au/news/emergency/plan-for-an-emergency/storm/ provides a comprehensive guide to prepare yourself, your home and vehicle ahead of a predicted storm.
Choose to drive at the right time: Choose non-peak hour to drive in to keep yourself and your vehicle safer amidst the chaotic and congested roads.
Safe driving practices: Reduce your driving speed significantly and maintain a reasonable distance between the cars around you. For better visibility, switch on your vehicle’s high beam headlights or daytime running lights will also be useful to ensure better visibility, but not your rear fog lights as it can distract other drivers. Use your brakes smoothly and gently. Do not use cruise control, block lanes and intersections where there is oncoming and merging traffic and impulsively change lanes when you encounter storm debris and puddles. The bottom-line is to be vigilant, alert and aware of your surroundings and judge the traffic conditions and roads to the best of your ability to ensure you safety and that of the others on the road.
Areas on the road to avoid: Large puddles, gutters, dips and underpasses create a major hazard on the road during a storm and must be off limits when driving through a storm.
Be prepared to evacuate safely: If you are faced with strong winds, a hurricane or a tornado, or are stuck in the middle of something severe, pull your vehicle to the sidewalk and switch on your hazard lights for attention and assistance. Worst case scenario, park your car and evacuate to a safe enclosed area nearby.
If the windscreen of your vehicle has been damaged due to a storm and needs repair or replacement, contact Novus to obtain a quote !
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As a driver, you may have experienced a small chip in your windscreen at some point in time. It may seem like a minor inconvenience,