Ways to drive safe in rainy weather

What we see and hear is important, but I personally feel that seeing the world with my own eyes is more important than hearing. I thought to myself: What can I do and what would I do without my eyes? Would every colour I imagine be way different? How active would my reaction be without seeing a moving object? Will I still enjoy driving and going on roadtrips? Eyes and visibility is so important…  

Many of us are daily commuters- driving, riding, cycling, or walking. According to a report by the Ministry of Transports Malaysia, there is an average of 2.19 million daily traffic on Malaysian roads in 2018. Among all the registered motor vehicles, nearly 40% of the car accidents happen during the late afternoon and early evening times. This is due to sunset glares and lower visibility compared to daytime. 

Visibility is very important in our daily lives, and more important for car drivers, especially during rainy seasons. How many of you have experienced or nearly have the experience of driving into other cars or an object due to low visibility? I cannot deny that I sometimes struggle to concentrate while driving because it’s raining so heavily! It’s a bit depressing to drive in the rainy season. 

 This article is going to discuss how we increase visibility while driving a car in the rain. 

1.Never drive after alcohol consumption

Drinking large amounts  of alcohol can cause disruption to concentration and blurred sights.

Driving after drinking is definitely a big NO-NO. It is highly dangerous to drive with a blurred sight. Under a darker situation (especially after sunset), car drivers are more likely to speed and drive in the wrong lane, which could cause traffic accidents too. On top of that, the visibility of the road will too decrease when a person is drunk, especially during the rainy season and late afternoon to early evening times. 

Hence, Rule #1 is not to drink while driving. Focus = maximum road visibility = safety. 

2. Avoid driving in the rain

Driving visibility decreases significantly when it rains cats and dogs outside. Driving in the heavy rains can be quite dangerous as car drivers are forced to drive in low-visibility, dark weather. Furthermore, the slippery roads may increase the possibility of car accidents. 

Here at Trapo, we would always recommend aged car drivers to take a rest during the rain or wait until the rain stops and drive in clear weather.

3.Rest if you are tired! 

I know that you are tired, from work or from a whole day of working/ schooling. Many daily road users are always tired, from a long day at work or long distance driving journeys. The journey home would usually feel longer due to a peak hour traffic jam. The World Health Organisation encourages car drivers to rest for at least 10 minutes in between every 2.5 hours of drive. Resting is important because yawning drivers have lower concentration levels, therefore less visibility caused by tired eyes. Stop by a resting stop or a car park if you are tired. Get some fresh air, stretch your legs and sip on a cup of coffee before continuing your driving journey, It’s better to arrive late but safely than never arriving. 

4.Do not use hazard lights in the rain

Many car drivers thought it is a good idea to turn on their hazard lights while driving in heavy rains. This is not only a reckless mistake, it is also an inconsiderate action as hazard lights cause glaring on other car drivers. The glaring is caused by refraction of light through rain water. The best practice would be to turn on the car headlight if your car is experiencing low visibility in the rain. Remember, don’t turn on the hazard lights in rainy weather. 

5.Glare caused by raindrops

As mentioned in #4, you must have experienced the hurting glares in your eyes while driving in the rain. Like a spotlight in the eyes, the glare is caused by car lights refraction through the raindrops. A magnifying effect of the rain water, therefore, enlarges the light surface area and shines on the eyes of car drivers. However, all the above issues can be solved with ONE small bottle of TRAPO Rainguard Repellant. It is also important to invest in a good pair of silicon windscreen wipers.

 6.A pair of good silicon windscreen wiper

A good pair of silicon wipers will not only provide clear visibility during the rainy season, but also minimise glare if used with TRAPO Rainguard Repellant, which works with nano-coating technology. This product makes a hydrophobic layer on the windscreen of your car that repels water and dirt. On top of that, TRAPO Rainguard Repellant creates a special water-beading effect. Therefore, a clear high definition vision is provided while the rain water glides off at just a speed of 80 km/h. Some feedback even mentioned that they do not need to turn on the windscreen wipers because the rain water beading and gliding effect is so strong!

 
7.Slow down in foggy & misty weather conditions

Many of you are familiar with Malaysia’s Genting Highland. After sunset or during the rainy season, Genting is usually surrounded by fog. A common cause of car accidents is low visibility. Under a bad driving condition like this, car drivers should slow down while paying more attention on the road. Some cars even suffer from worse visibility due to fogging windows and windscreen. Again, TRAPO Rainguard Repellant can avoid these situations with just 2 sprays using the car windscreen wipers.