Adjusting To Driving in the Spring
For many people, spring is a great time of year. It’s about new beginnings and the start of a fun driving season. But the season of warmer weather comes at a price. Most notably, from a road safety perspective, many fatal collisions occur between April and June.
It’s a large number that can be reduced with good driver awareness and a plan. Here are some safe driving tips to remember once spring has sprung.
Prep Your Vehicle
Road safety begins before you get behind the wheel. Spring is a good time to replace windshield wiper blades that that may have left streaks across the windshield during the winter season or perhaps don’t clear the glass in a single swipe.
To ensure you can maximize your visibility during poor weather, keep all headlights, taillights, brake lights and turn signals clean and functioning. Make it a habit of checking the lights once a week and to ensure each of the lenses are clean.
Ensure each of the tires are properly inflated – including the spare tire – and make sure they have plenty of tread. A tire with 3 mm-deep tread depth can stop a vehicle on wet pavement in a 25% shorter distance than a tire with a 1.5 mm-deep tread. The winter tires should be left on until the temperature stays above 7 degrees Celsius on average, including in the evening.
Watch for pedestrians
Warm weather means more people outside. Reduce speed and be extra cautious in pedestrian corridors, playground zones and school zones, even if school is not in session. If a yellow pedestrian-activated traffic light is flashing, reduce speed and yield to pedestrians who may be wishing to cross the street.
Be wary of pedestrians who may be fixated on their electronic devices and aren’t paying much attention to approaching traffic.
Watch for wildlife
Since animals always seem to be on the move, be aware that spring is the time of year when animals come out of hibernation and begin scavenging for food. Many animals seem to be more active at hours associated to dawn and dusk. Watch for animal-crossing signs, reduce your speed, look well ahead and constantly move your eyes to each side to look for movement.
Animals will often move in groups, so if you pass one animal, reduce speed because there may be more following. If the inevitable happens and it looks like you’ll hit a large animal, do your best to hit it at an angle. This will help to reduce the chance of it coming through your windshield. Ease on the brakes just before hitting the animal.
In many urban areas, you should still watch for animals. You may encounter animals roaming near parks, wooded areas, river valleys, open green space, or even near the city boundaries.
Beware of Flooding
Melted snow and ice, combined with spring rain can cause localized flooding in certain areas. Avoid attempting to cross the flooded section of any road, as the pavement underneath may be washed out. Instead, it would be best to turn around and look for an alternate route.
You should also avoid driving through large puddles. Deep water can stall the vehicle’s engine, worsen your brakes, impair your vision, and even cause the vehicle to hydroplane. Hydroplaning happens when your tires lose contact with the road surface because a layer of water gets between the road and your tires. This layer of water causes the driver to temporarily lose steering and braking ability.
If the hydroplaning was caused by too much speed, ease off the accelerator to allow the engine to slow the speed of the vehicle naturally. Applying the brakes to the wheels that have no traction won’t do much and may cause you to panic. If you’ve steered toward a curve or turn and felt the vehicle does not respond, gently steer back to allow the wheels to remain straight while easing off the accelerator. This will allow the wheels to rotate better and help the water to be channeled through the tread patterns to help you regain traction once again.
Once you feel the tires have regained some traction, gently apply the brakes to help you maintain control of the vehicle. Keep in mind that you may need to abandon the turn and go around the block.
When conditions are wet or slushy, drive at a speed that will allow you to easily control your vehicle and always maintain a safe following distance of three to four seconds, depending on the speed you’re traveling.
Avoid using cruise control on wet or slippery roads. To reduce the risk of hydroplaning, make sure you have tires with good tread of a minimum of 3 mm to help displace water, reduce your speed, avoid hard braking or turning sharply, and avoid driving in the tracks of the vehicle ahead of you.
Share the Road
The spring season means road maintenance crews, cyclists and motorcyclists are on the roads. Always provide maintenance crews with plenty of space and follow all posted speed limit signs in those areas. In construction zones, always obey the flag person’s signal and be prepared to slow down or stop when entering work zones. Keep in mind that when workers are present, the fines for speeding in construction zones are doubled.
Always remember to check the mirrors and check your blind spot before all horizontal movement. Regular mirror checks can help to keep you up to date on the traffic behind you. When turning left, always scan for oncoming motorcycles. Motorcyclists can be difficult to see, especially in heavy traffic, near larger vehicles, or at night, and are often moving at a faster speed than it often appears.
More helpful tips
Other reminders for spring driving include using low-beam headlights in the rain or fog, always keep your windshield washer fluid topped up, if you can’t avoid a pothole, brake just before impact to lessen any damage and to maintain control of the vehicle.
In rural areas, look ahead at least 20 seconds of your vehicle, stay out of other drivers’ blind spots, obey all speed limits and drive to the conditions and on long road trips, schedule a break about every two hours.
Just like any season, we all need to make adjustments to become a safe driver.