{"id":651641,"date":"2022-12-17T12:00:43","date_gmt":"2022-12-17T10:00:43","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/?p=651641"},"modified":"2022-12-17T12:36:01","modified_gmt":"2022-12-17T10:36:01","slug":"6-tips-to-stay-safe-on-the-roads-during-heavy-rains-this-holiday-season","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/lifestyle\/651641\/6-tips-to-stay-safe-on-the-roads-during-heavy-rains-this-holiday-season\/","title":{"rendered":"6 tips to stay safe on the roads during heavy rains"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>South Africa is currently experiencing above-average rainfall this summer due to the La Ni\u00f1a phenomenon. Due to the heightened level of holiday travel across the country over the festive season, motorists are urged to be vigilant, monitor their speed, and ensure critical vehicle parts are up to standard.<\/p>\n<p>South Africa is experiencing a rare weather phenomenon that scientists believe has been triggered by climate change, which has thrown the country into its third consecutive year of La Ni\u00f1a.<\/p>\n<p>La Ni\u00f1a is a global weather phenomenon that occurs in the Pacific Ocean, and for some countries like South Africa, it brings above-average rainfall.<\/p>\n<p>According to South African Weather Service (Saws) expert Cobus Olivier, forecasts indicate that this weather pattern will remain in this state for the rest of 2022 and early 2023.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cLate summer will feel the worst of La Nina after a delayed start to the rainfall season, November to January will see above-normal rainfall,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n<p>The impacts of this phenomenon are already being felt by South Africa, as the Johannesburg Road Agency (JRA) <a href=\"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/government\/650575\/flood-warning-for-parts-of-joburg-these-are-the-roads-to-avoid\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">announced<\/a> over the past week that severe road infrastructure damage had been reported across the city.<\/p>\n<p>Saws also warned for extended rains across central parts of the Western Cape, southern Gauteng, and central and north-eastern parts of the Free State. The heavy rains have meant that roads across the country experienced closures due to extremely wet conditions and flooding.<\/p>\n<p><strong>How to stay safe on the roads <\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Considering the extended above-average rainfall expected over the festive season, The Automobile Association of South Africa (AA) said that motorists must be aware that the conditions are different and must adapt their driving accordingly.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHeavy rains mean there will be a lot of wet roads across the country, and in these conditions, tyres only have half as much grip on the surface as on dry roads,\u201d said the AA.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhen driving in the rain, motorists need to remember to brake earlier, enter corners at slower speeds, and maintain focus on the road ahead at all times,\u201d it added.<\/p>\n<p>To ensure motorists stay safe and in control on the roads, the AA recommends the following:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Motorists should check that their windscreen wipers<\/strong> are working properly (front and back) and that their brakes are sound;<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Ensure your headlights and brake lights are working<\/strong>. Switch on your headlights, especially when natural light is low, as this also alerts other drivers to your presence on the road;<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Check that your tyres<\/strong> are in good shape to avoid aquaplaning. Aquaplaning occurs when the tread on the tyres is no longer able to channel water away, and the tyre lifts off the road surface and starts to skim across the water like a speedboat;<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Don\u2019t speed, and maintain a safe following distance<\/strong>. Driving 15 to 20km\/h below the speed limit is always a good idea in extremely wet conditions;<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Slow down before entering standing water<\/strong> on the road, as this may cause the car to \u201cpull\u201d to the side without warning and may be deeper than it looks; and<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li>Crashes in wet conditions are common, so <strong>always wear your safety belt and ensure all children and passengers are strapped in<\/strong>.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<hr \/>\n<p><strong>Read: <a href=\"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/lifestyle\/649455\/how-much-it-costs-to-drive-to-south-africas-most-popular-holiday-destinations-this-december-2\/\" rel=\"bookmark\">How much it costs to drive to South Africa\u2019s popular holiday destinations this December \u2013 petrol and tolls<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>South Africa is expected to have above-average rainfall for the rest of 2022 and early 2023. Here are six tips to help you stay safe and in control on the roads over the holiday season. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":10,"featured_media":651645,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[9876],"tags":[26,17703],"class_list":["post-651641","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-lifestyle","tag-headline","tag-the-automobile-association-of-south-africa-aa"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/651641","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/10"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=651641"}],"version-history":[{"count":9,"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/651641\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":652415,"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/651641\/revisions\/652415"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/651645"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=651641"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=651641"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=651641"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}