Uganda lying under the tropics receives plenty of rain round the year. The pearl of Africa is blessed with two rain seasons running from September to November and March to May. Though the rest of the months can be referred to as dry, besides the Northern part of the country, other regions receive moderate and unpredictable rains through these months. Some regions such as South Western Uganda around Kisoro (Bwindi Forest) receive rain almost throughout the year though the rain seasons tend to be wetter than others.
Being like that, you need to know how to properly handle the car during rain so that you don’t have to park and wait for it to end before getting back on the road again. Some rains for instance in March and November can drop for several hours most especially in the mornings that can halt your daily plans or adventure in case you are on a road trip once you fear driving in rains.
Besides lack of experience about driving in rains, it sometimes becomes hard to driving roads made hazardous by rainfall. Therefore, here is how you can drive safely under such circumstances.
Observe basic driving principles
Driving in the rain represents an additional degree of risk. A tiny mistake during wet conditions can turn into a huge error with grave consequences. Therefore you need to put aside the experience you have on the road and go back to the basics of driving. These could be driving with both hands on the wheel, avoiding gadgets while driving, observing road signs among others. You need to be alert, committed and careful to remain safe.
Moderate your speed
Who doesn’t know that any kind of over speeding is hazardous not only to your vehicle but also to your life and that of others around. Its a no brainer to forget this most especially during unclear conditions on the road such as during rains. You should always make a judgement while on the pedals on which speed to drive depending on the intensity of rain. It is a good idea not to strain your eyes in conditions where you can not see clearly on what is 3 – 5 kilometers on the road, just park the car and wait for it to end. Even though the road is clear, drive at a speed that enables you come to a quick stop without the risk of skidding. It could save your life and those of others.
Turn on the Lights
No matter what time of the day you are driving in, be sure to switch on your lamps in order to increase visibility and to serve as warning for incoming traffic. It might also be a good idea to turn on your hazard lights (double indicators) as they give the vehicle behind you a sign that the driver in front isn’t comfortable on the road. With these lights on, you should maintain a safe following distances. Since your brakes might not be in the best responsive state because of the wet road, there might be need to keep a 5 – 8 seconds distance to avoid rear ending accidents.
Acquire good wipers
Most of the drivers only remember about the wipers during wet seasons. many drive cars with faulty wipers that even leave streaks on the windshield that limit proper visibility. Faulty wipers produce glare that further compromises your already limited visibility.
Use Air Condition (A/C)
Did you know that a perfect air conditioning system can work well in your favor while driving in the rain. You can use the Air condition to heat up the windshield to clear up fog on your glass. When you realize that it is making the interior of the car uncomfortably hot, you can switch from warm to cold states of the A/C at intervals you feel comfortable with. If you don’t have A/C, then you can risk winding down the windows and risk drenching.
Avoid Passing through floods
Some areas in Uganda tend to flood during high rains. Areas such as around clock tower in Kampala, Namanve, Bwaise among others are prone to flooding to the extent of cutting off the road. Although it will not always be possible to predict exactly where flooding will occur, do your best to avoid such known flood prone areas once it’s raining. Floods are likely to compromise your engine functions if too heavy. Better use alternative routes or follow guidance from traffic helpers around.
