Bangkok--3 Sep--Vivaldi Public Relations
City Automobiles, Jaguar Land Rover’s authorised distributor in Thailand, understands that driving in the rain can be time-consuming, frustrating, challenging, or even risky under certain conditions.
Here are some tips to help all motorists drive safely with incident-free progress through Thailand’s season of damp weather.
Preparation
Wipers: Your windshield wipers must function well and the wipers must have blades of good quality and in good condition. Windshield wipers are an utterly essential and sometimes overlooked automotive part that results in good visibility, and therefore, good decision-making. If your wipers have not been used for some time, apply some white vinegar to a lint free cloth and run it up and down the rubber; this will remove road grime and improve contact with the windshield. If your wipers still fail to clean the screen, renew them at your local dealer.
Lighting system: Check your car’s headlamps, tail lamps, turn signals, warning lights, backup lighting and all ancillary lighting components carefully. You will need better visibility when driving in the rain, even in the daytime, as it makes other drivers aware of your position and intentions. If you’re going on a long journey in wet conditions, wipe your headlights and tail lights clean with a piece of cloth when you stop for fuel/refreshments to maintain visibility.
Tyres: If your tyres are not able to grip the road surface properly, the risk of accident increases massively. Choose appropriate all-weather tyres for your car, and increase the pressures by 2-3 foot-pounds per square inch (0.1-0.2Bar) higher than usual (don’t forget the spare!). This makes the tyre surface rigid and enables the water-clearing function of the tyres to work more efficiently. If your tyre treads are below 3mm, this can dramatically reduce grip when braking. If in any doubt about the condition of your tyres, please consult your local dealer.
Battery: For a number of reasons, your car uses more battery power when driving in the rain. Ensure the car battery is in good condition and all electrical systems are functioning well.
Accessories: Ensure that you carry spare fuses and bulbs in case of a failure. Additional items can be sourced from your local dealer.
Safe Driving in the Rain
Do not change lanes aggressively or drive too fast. Drive below 60 km/h over broken or rough tarmac, or on surfaces which are slippery due to an excess of surface water. Try to avoid sudden or large steering inputs where possible.
Keep a minimum 10-15 m (at city speeds) of distance from the car ahead so you can stop in time in case of an unexpected event - you will need much more distance to stop in the wet. If a vehicle cuts in front of you, ease back and re-establish the correct distance.
If you cannot avoid flooded areas, be prepared for sudden misting up of the interior windscreen and side glasses due to increased moisture in the air. Press the ‘recirculation’ button to help reduce this occurrence. Always carry a piece of cloth in the car to clean the inside glass should misting occur.
Observe water depth on the flooded roads ahead by looking at cars or footpaths in front of you to gauge driving conditions. Be prepared for the car to ‘pull’ left or right if a patch of deeper water is encountered at speed.
After driving on flooded roads, drive at a slow speed and repeatedly step on the brake (when safe to do so) to dry the brake discs and pads.
In cases of severe rain where visibility is below a couple of metres with the wipers on full speed, just stop on the roadside (in a safe location) and wait for the rain to stop or lessen. If stopped at the side of the road, leave your lights on and turn on your hazard lights to warn other drivers of your presence.
Technology for a safer drive
Many innovative automotive technologies have been developed by leading manufacturers to help us drive safer and more comfortably. A recent innovation by Land Rover is Terrain Responseâ2 featuring an automatic setting with which the vehicle monitors the current driving conditions and vehicle behavior then automatically selects the most suitable terrain program. This helps to create an incredibly safe driving dynamic where the vehicle is not prone to skidding, locking up or behaving erratically.
To complement the Terrain Responseâ2 system, all of our cars call upon a unique suite of all-terrain technologies to help maximise performance and safety, like Roll Stability Control (RSC) on Land Rover and Dynamic Stability Control (DSC) on Jaguars. All Land Rover models feature a high air intake and there’s now an innovative air intake system (on Range Rover and Range Rover Sport Models) which draws air between the inner and outer bonnet panels at the sides of the vehicle, enabling wading depths of up to 90cm – an incredible benefit for the flood-prone streets of Bangkok and the challenging conditions experienced in some provinces.
Gary Kemp, Chief Technical Consultant of City Automobiles, explains, “Car accidents are more likely to occur in the rainy season… It’s simply a combination of road conditions becoming more challenging and visibility decreasing, so it’s important all drivers check their cars over more often. City Automobiles has made a large investment in high-end maintenance equipment, tools, technology and staff to offer best-in-class peace of mind for our customers. We have the know-how and capability, along with genuine Jaguar Land Rover parts and accessories to ensure that our customers benefit from the safest drive possible in the most demanding of conditions.”
City Automobiles, Jaguar Land Rover’s sole authorised distributor in Thailand, is able to liaise with customers at the point of model selection to discuss safety options and technology options with Jaguar Land Rover clients. City Automobiles Co., Ltd. has a showroom and cutting edge service centre on Wireless Road and a service centre on Rama III, both of which provide comprehensive service and repair for all Jaguar and Land Rover customers in Thailand.