- To drive safely in the rain, ensure your car is well-maintained by checking tyres, windscreen wipers, lights, and brakes.
- Practice defensive driving by reducing your speed, avoiding sudden movements, and using hazard lights to maintain control and alert other drivers.
- If your car hydroplanes or visibility is reduced, take the appropriate safety measures mentioned above.
- Consider comprehensive insurance to protect yourself financially in case of weather-related accidents.
Just when you’ve mastered driving on South Africa’s roads, avoiding potholes and pedestrians along the way… Here comes another treacherous ‘P’: Precipitation. Seasonal rainfall is the blessing and the bane of South Africans nationwide.
Sure, it brings a refreshing vibe and fills up the very depleted water reservoirs. However, the damage that results from rain-soaked roads is anything but joyous. Therefore, it’s necessary to prepare your car and adapt your driving habits to suit the season’s slippery conditions.
This neat little Pineapple guide will provide essential tips to stay safe while driving in the rain. We’ll ensure you enjoy a safe driving experience while reducing your risk of weather-related car accidents. And since we’re an insurance provider, we’ll, of course, find fun and creative ways to include comprehensive car insurance in the mix.
The Risks of Driving in the Rain
In 1988, New Edition asked if we can stand the rain, and honestly? Not at the expense of our safety. A 2022 report by Road Traffic Management Corporation (RTMC), found that wet roads and poor visibility caused 27% of all of South Africa’s road fatalities.
Rainy weather has disastrous effects on motorists, ranging from hydroplaning to deteriorating roadways.
Hydroplaning, or aquaplaning, is not when an aircraft runs on water instead of fuel. It’s when water causes a car's tyres to lose contact with the road surface. When this happens, it dramatically reduces the driver's ability to steer and brake.
Additionally, too much rain can also form new potholes and worsen existing ones.
And where there are car accidents, there are car insurance claims…
Wet roads caused by rain can cause you to swerve off the road and onto your insurer’s claims department. Adverse weather conditions, like heavy rainfall, increase the likelihood of accidents, leading to an uptick in claims, financial loss and higher insurance premiums.
As if driving wasn’t already stressful enough.
Preparing Your Car for Rainy Weather
Have you ever noticed how everyone seems to forget how to drive as soon as dark clouds roll in? That, friend, is what a lack of preparation looks like.
If every motorist took the time to master these easy tricks, our roads would flow like the gentlest river.
Here’s how to prepare your car for a smooth drive, no matter the weather (but also, specifically for rainfall). Check your:
- Tyres.
Tyres are the only part of your vehicle that are constantly in contact with the road, so they should remain in tip-top shape.
A tyre’s condition can affect braking distance (how long it takes your car to come to a complete stop), the vehicle’s suspension, and how well the wheels grip the road (preventing the vehicle from skidding and sliding out of control).
So, act like a personal trainer and whip those things into shape!
Your tyre’s ideal pressure depends on the car’s make and model, but the law states that a tyre’s tread should be at least 1 mm deep across its entire width over the full circumference.
- Windscreen wipers.
Poor visibility caused by heavy (and not-so-heavy) rainfall can be defeated with a good set of wipers. Wipers clear raindrops from a windscreen, helping motorists see better. Having an unobstructed view of the road means a driver can see well, helping them avoid accidents.
The hot South African summer sun can dry up windscreen wipers faster than a wet sponge in the Sahara Desert. This makes the wiper’s rubber warp and even crack, effectively making them ineffective.
So, to ensure their longevity, be sure to replace your wipers at least twice a year and only use them on a wet windscreen.
Additionally, if it’s cold outside and warm in the car—or vice versa—your windscreen can fog up, making it hard to see. This is where mastering your aircon comes in handy.
Rule of thumb: if the car is warmer inside than outside, put your aircon on cold, and if it is colder inside than outside, try using the heater.
- Headlights and taillights.
Lights are important; why else would Ellie Goulding write a whole song about them?
Ensuring your car’s lights are in working order allows you to signal and alert other drivers of your intentions to stop, slow down or turn. They can, therefore, adjust their driving to align with your motoring manoeuvres.
And that’s why taking care of your head, tail, and brake lights is essential!
- Brakes.
It takes longer for your car to stop when travelling on a wet road than it does on a dry one—approximately 3-4 seconds more. But, of course, this will differ based on your car’s weight, the tyre’s tread and pressure and the road’s surface.
That’s why Arrive Alive’s recommended following distance of 2-3 seconds is doubled to about 4-6 seconds during heavy rain.
Not taking good care of any of the above can make your car unroadworthy.
This can put people in danger, including yourself. This can cause your insurer to decline your claim and can also result in a potential fine should a police officer pull you over to check your car (this is what police should actually be doing when they pull you over).
But, the best resource to protect you and your car from bad weather is a comprehensive car insurance policy.
Comprehensive coverage will protect your finances should your car suffer damage caused by road hazards and flooding. If you’re insured with the right insurance provider, say Pineapple (as an example 😉), other weather-related incidents like hail also form part of your policy.
Please keep in mind that while comprehensive insurance does cover your vehicle extensively, it will not protect you in the case of poor maintenance.
So, you are responsible for anything that can be traced back to or pinned to poor maintenance (e.g., mechanical/electronic breakdowns).
Therefore, ensure you go for services and regularly check and rotate your tyres, breaks, etc.
But other than that…
Click here to get a 90-second obligation-free quote. Do it before the first Spring rain falls!
Driving Tips to Stay Safe in the Rain
The heading makes it pretty evident; this next section is all about mastering rainy-weather driving. Don’t feel bad if you’ve yet to acquire this skill, the lower light and slippery surfaces make driving difficult for even the most experienced motorist.
Thankfully, Pineapple’s here to help you.
Here are 5 tips for driving safely during rainy weather:
- Reduce your speed to increase your reaction time. Lower speeds allow you to control your car better. This is essential when an unexpected situation—like when another diver loses control of their vehicle—pops up.
- Avoid making sudden moves. Rain-soaked roads call for one thing, actually three: smooth acceleration, braking and steering. Carefully executing these manoeuvres reduces skidding and improves stability and handling.
- Use your hazard lights in the heavy rain. Hazard lights alert other drivers of your presence, helping them to practice caution and prevent collisions. If the weather gets too crazy, it is advised to pull over somewhere safe to wait out the storm.
- Keep a keen eye on the road. Focusing on the path ahead will alert you well ahead of time of any obstructions, obstacles or other challenges like pools of water and debris which can negatively affect your driving.
Additionally, watch out for other motorists.
While you may adhere to the rules of the road, someone else might not. So it’s crucial to be extra cautious, anticipate and react responsibly should another driver put you in a potentially dangerous scenario.
- Check the weather daily. This helps you understand what you're in store for so you can properly plan your drives. Get weather alerts sent to your phone from a reliable app of your choosing (e.g. Weather App, WeatherSmart, AccuWeather). And if bad weather is on the horizon, either leave early or leave later to avoid getting caught in the downpour.
The most crucial tip we can suggest is abstaining from reckless driving.
This means limiting distractions like your phone, eating, or applying make-up, and toning down any aggressive road rage.
And it should go without saying, staying legal! No drinking and drugging = no impaired senses.
As your mom would always say... turn the music down; it's too loud!
Also, being wide awake helps. So, avoid driving when you’re tired, as this slows down and impairs your response time.
While accidents can never be predicted, they can be prevented.
Handling Emergencies While Driving in the Rain
Knowing how to handle emergencies while driving in the rain means there’s less chance of you totalling your car and suffering a physical and financial blow.
What to do if your vehicle hydroplanes:
- Keep your cool and avoid losing your composure. Panicking during an emergency is the last thing you want to do—it keeps you from thinking clearly and acting calmly.
- Gently release the accelerator and let the car naturally slow down.
- Hold your steering wheel steadily and firmly. Moving the steering wheel too much can cause the vehicle to spiral even more out of control.
- Calmly ride the chaos out until you feel the vehicle’s tyres regain traction.
- If you’re feeling disorientated or shaken up after the incident, safely pull over (if possible) and take a few moments to steady your nerves.
What to Do if Visibility is Severely Reduced
If the visibility is so poor, you can barely see a few metres in front of you, now’s the time to practice caution. Here’s how:
- Ensure you and your passenger are safely strapped in. Seat belts prevent a car’s occupants from being ejected or suffering from other serious bodily injuries.
- Keep your windscreen and headlights clean. This helps to reduce any unnecessary glare and can increase visibility.
- Gradually reduce your speed and flip on your low-beam headlights, hazard lights and taillights. This will ensure you have enough time to react to unexpected hazards, keep a safe following distance and allows other road users to see you coming and going. Having your hazards lit also increases the visibility of your whereabouts to other motorists.
- Listen for other drivers. When one of your five senses is impaired, the brain rewires itself so that the remaining senses are strengthened. So, use your newly acquired superhero hearing to listen carefully for other motorists.
- Safely pull over until the weather clears up. If conditions are especially treacherous, it might be best to wait the bad weather out. Use this time to meditate, practice patience or get a comprehensive car insurance quote with Pineapple.
Contacting Your Insurance Provider
If the above fails, and you still wind up in a weather-related accident, there’s only one thing left to do… Contact your insurance provider for assistance.
Here are a few steps to take when contacting your insurer after an accident:
- Gather enough information about the accident. Date, time, location and the other driver’s details are some of the things your insurance might ask you for. This, plus a description of the incident, will help piece together the events leading up to the accident.
Remember to also take clear photos of the damage(s) to your car and the other vehicle if a third party is involved.
Next, go straight to the police station to open a case. They will take a statement of what transpired that will help with the claims decision handling.
Your case number is what insurers will need later on.
Also, be sure to report this to the nearest police station where the incident happened, not at your local police station.
For example, if the accident happened in Benoni, reporting it in Sandton will not help—they will advise you to go report it at the nearest police station to the accident. No one wants a runaround, especially after an incident.
- Contact your insurance provider immediately after the incident. Calmly relay the information you’ve gathered in step number one. They’ll then instruct you on next steps and advise you on how to converse with the other party and authorities that show up on the scene. The longer it takes to report an incident, the more room for question. So do this sooner rather than later.
- Cooperate with the insurer for the best possible outcome. Be honest in your communication, as this will help you when filing a claim later on.
If, even after all our tips and warnings, you still fell victim to an unpleasant driving experience, the above tips should also come in handy.
How Comprehensive Insurance Can Help During Rainy Weather
Prevention is better than cure, but when even the cure fails, there’s comprehensive insurance.
Comprehensive car insurance protects you from incidents over and above vehicle collisions. This makes having this insurance policy an especially invaluable asset to have, especially during rain-related accidents.
Take Pineapple’s comprehensive coverage, for example.
Cover includes weather damage, meaning you’re protected from fire, flood and hail damage, to name a few.
So, if your vehicle is damaged due to any of the above-mentioned perils, comprehensive insurance can cover the cost of any repairs or replacements. Cracked and broken windows and windscreens also fall under this category.
Meaning, Pineapple will either repair or replace the glass.
Finally, the best benefit of having an active comprehensive car insurance policy is that you’re fully covered, even if you’re at fault of causing an accident.
South Africa’s Changing Weather Patterns and Driving Preparedness
Changes in climatic conditions are happening all over the globe.
In SA, these have brought an increase in severe flooding and sweltering heatwaves, leading to adverse effects on agriculture and devastating destruction of property.
Severe weather conditions can lead to more car insurance claims resulting from water damage. If a car is exposed to too much humidity and moisture, rust and corrosion can form on the metal parts, leading to ruin.
Additionally, a car’s paint job can deteriorate due to the contaminants contained in rain water.
Thankfully, Pineapple’s committed to providing evergreen insurance, no matter the weather.
Our comprehensive cover ensures financial security strong enough to weather any storm. Why break a sweat as soon as the storm clouds come rolling in when you can simply insure your prized possession with Pineapple?
Conclusion
To conclude, driving in the rain isn’t rocket science.
However, it does take a bit of concentrated effort and an extreme amount of caution.
Following these tips and tricks can help you get from one location to the next destination safely. Simply remember to adjust your driving habits to suit the environment, and be mindful of other motorists, as they navigate the same hurdles you do.
Lastly, throwing in an added layer of comprehensive insurance means you don’t leave your car’s protection up to chance.
Not sure if your insurance is up to scratch? Review your policy to investigate the facts.
And once you’ve done that, get a quote with the one insurance provider who won’t leave you wondering. Pineapple’s comprehensive insurance is as transparent as they come.
No hidden fees, or jump-scare T&Cs, just 100% Pineapple protection.
Click here for a quick 90-second quote today, as in NOW! (Please?)
Please Note: The information provided above is for informational purposes only; you should not construe any such information as legal or financial advice.
Pineapple (FSP 48650) is underwritten by Old Mutual Alternative Risk Transfer Insure Limited, a licensed Non-Life Insurer and authorised FSP. T&Cs apply.
Team Pineapple
Team Pineapple comprises our company’s top talents, who are dedicated to creating clear, high-quality content on essential vehicle insurance topics. This diverse group, including actuaries, accountants, data scientists, and insurance professionals across South Africa, collaborates to produce enlightening and empowering articles.
Each piece is thoroughly researched, factually accurate, and rigorously reviewed to ensure quality.
*We say they’re the finest because we want them to keep writing for us!
