Heavy rains have hit Dubai once again and caused serious traffic problems across the emirate. The risk of long traffic delays and dangerous road situations increase considerably in rainy season because maneuvering a vehicle safely on wet and slippery roads becomes extremely difficult. Driving in heavy rains can be challenging even for seasoned drivers, so the level of difficulty is understandably higher for young drivers. Traffic authorities continue to launch road safety awareness campaigns on a regular basis and motorists should actively participate in these campaigns to learn road safety practices for driving in challenging weather conditions such as heavy rains, fog and sandstorms amongst others.
A new wave of heavy rains has been observed in Dubai over the last few weeks, which has drastically increased traffic problems in the metropolitan city. Traffic authorities have increased the patrolling of roads affected by heavy rains and have urged drivers to follow safe driving practices to avoid dangerous road situations.
Details of the Recent Rain-related Road Accidents in Dubai
The recent rainfall has affected Dubai, Fujairah and Northern Emirates of the country the most. Occasional rains have continued to hit Dubai over the last few weeks while the most recent rainfall was recorded in Dubai on January 08, 2017. Earlier, on December 17, 2017, the Control Unit of Dubai Police received 12,537 emergency calls as 581 road accidents were recorded in the emirate due to heavy rains.
This is an alarming figure for road accidents recorded in the same day and most of these dangerous accidents were caused by reckless driving behavior of motorists who didn’t follow road safety protocols and violated traffic rules.
Also read: 1,400 Accidents Recorded in Dubai Due to Heavy Rains
Authorities Urge Motorists to Drive Safely in Rain
The lack of driving experience in bad weather conditions or panicked driving due to frustration caused by a traffic jam can have serious consequences. Failure to leave a safe distance between vehicles and over-speeding on wet roads are other major reasons behind dangerous road accidents during rain.
In order to avoid such situations, motorists have been advised by traffic authorities to follow road safety protocols for driving in bad weather conditions. Lieutenant Colonel Turki Abdul Rahman Bin Faris, Director of Command and Control Unit at Dubai Police has advised motorists to be cautious when driving in heavy rains and urged them to leave a safe distance between cars. He added that it is important to allow oneself a cushion of 10 to 15 minutes to reach a destination in bad weather conditions.
Traffic authorities have also urged motorists to check weather updates regularly and plan their route beforehand to avoid traffic jams and dangerous road situations induced by heavy rain.
#Advice :
Reduce speed during heavy #rain to avoid sudden sliding of your vehicle.#DubaiPolice #YourSecurityOurHappiness— Dubai Policeشرطة دبي (@DubaiPoliceHQ) January 8, 2018
Also read: 9 Lifesaving Tips for Driving in the Rain
Heavy Rains were also recorded in Sharjah
A few weeks ago, heavy rains also hit Sharjah where Police cordoned off various areas in the Eastern Region because of waterlogged roads. Police patrolling has also been increased across different areas of Sharjah to help motorists facing trouble with their vehicles on roads affected by heavy rainfall.
Traffic Jams Increase across Dubai
Due to slowly moving vehicles, traffic delays remained prevalent on major busy roads across Dubai during rain on Monday, January 08, 2017. Motorists must remain considerate of others and avoid dangerous driving mistakes such as tailgating or poor overtaking so that frustrating traffic jams can be avoided in slippery road conditions.
Also read: 7 ways to Drive Safely in Low Visibility Conditions
Important Safety Tips for Driving in Heavy Rain
Having a proactive mindset and carefully adopting road safety protocols can help in avoiding dangerous accidents on wet roads. Here are a few crucial safety tips for driving in rain that you should never ignore:
- Avoid tailgating as a failure to leave safe distance between cars can result in a dangerous road accident. Leaving safe distance between your vehicle and the vehicle ahead is important because in wet conditions, the available road traction can decrease significantly and a longer stopping distance is required by a vehicle when the brakes are applied.
- Avoid over-speeding as it can be seriously hazardous in slippery road conditions. Apart from increasing the risk of a dangerous accident, over-speeding in heavy rains can also result in hydroplaning (a condition that attributes to floating of a vehicle on water at high speed). Plan your journey intelligently and always allow yourself a cushion of 10-15 extra minutes to reach your destination.
- Maintain 100% concentration on the road and avoid distractions such as use of mobile phone, eating or drinking something or talking to other passengers in the vehicle.
- Check your car lights regularly in rainy season as visibility can decrease drastically at times in heavy rains, which can pose serious challenges if the car lights are not working properly.
- Use windshield wipers to wipe out rain water from the front and rear screen.
- Use a high-quality water repellent to keep the car’s windshield clean and clear while driving in heavy rains.
Read our extensive guide about safety tips for driving in bad weather, by clicking here.
Bottom-line
Other than following all the above-mentioned tips, motorists must also keep their vehicles well-maintained to avoid a mechanical malfunction, which can have dangerous consequences while driving on wet roads in heavy rains. It is also important to remain considerate of others and remain extra careful while maneuvering a vehicle around sharp turns and intersections to avoid any dangerous road accident. Motorists must cooperate with authorities and follow road safety rules so that dangerous road situations can be avoided in bad weather conditions.
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