We resisted bringing you last week's Road Safety Authority (RSA) weather warning, what with it being a bank holiday weekend, but this week's report looks even worse and with no three-day weekend to ruin...
Depending on where you are in the country you can expect between 30- and 60mm of rainfall over the coming days with Munster and Connacht likely to be the worst hit. Drivers are warned to take extra care on the roads and be mindful of standing water and localised flooding.
Strangely, the recent rain - combined with good weather we experienced a couple of weeks ago - is likely to make road conditions even more hazardous. As Noel Brett, CEO of the Road Safety Authority points out, "after periods of dry weather there tends to be a build-up of oil and rubber deposit on the road. When this deposit mixes with rainwater it increases the risk of a skid and increases your stopping distance. Our advice is to slow down and increase your braking distance to four seconds to allow for poor surface conditions."
In addition to increasing braking distances the RSA is also advising motorists to be careful when driving behind trucks due to the lack of visibility caused by spray, used dipped headlights at all times to increase your car's visibility to others, watch out for vulnerable road users such as pedestrians, cyclists and motorcyclists.
The RSA also has the following advice for driving in flooded conditions:
- If the road ahead is flooded choose another route, do not attempt to drive through it. Flooded roads that appear shallow could be deeper than you think.
- After going through water, drive slowly with your foot on the brake pedal for a short distance - this helps to dry the brakes.