Driving in the rain requires extra care and attention to stay safe. As well as making sure you drive well-rested and clear headed, there are some vital vehicle checks to run through before you hit the road in the rain.
1. Be seen, be safe: check your lights
Being visible on the road is top of the list for safe motoring on a rainy day. Even more so on a rainy night.
Check all the exterior lights on your car: Front, rear, and side. If you find that one of your headlights is dimmer than the other, it may be that the bulb has been fitted incorrectly. Find out how to fix this on this blog post.
You should also check your rear fog light. This is essential in fog, obviously, but also useful in heavy rain. Especially where there is a lot of spray coming off the road surface or other vehicles.
If you can’t see the rear lights of the car in front of you, it’s worth switching on you rear fog light so other road users can see you.
Know where your rear fog light is located on your dashboard so you can access it when you need it. But don’t forget to turn it off again once the conditions improve. It’s a strong light and can dazzle other drivers when used in clear conditions.
2. Essential tyre safety for driving in the rain
There are two parts to making sure your tyres are ready for driving in adverse conditions such as moderate to heavy rain. These are:
- Making sure the tyre pressure is correct.
- Checking there is good tread on the tyres.
Worn, under-inflated, or over-inflated tyres will not perform at their best. This impacts your safety on the road, especially where there are slick, rainy driving conditions.
Tyre pressure
Remember that the point of contact of the tyres on the road is only be as big as the sole of your shoe. Having the correct tyre pressure will make sure your car or van has the best grip on the road when driving in the rain.
Consult your vehicle handbook to find out what the pressure should be for the front and rear tyres according to the vehicle load.
You can check your tyre pressure with a foot pump or an air line at the garage.
Get a grip with the right tread
The amount of wear on your tyres affects their grip on the road and the breaking efficiency of your car.
Check your front tyres in particular. 80% of breaking wear and tear happens on the front tyres so there will be more wear on the front than the back.
If your tread is close to or beyond the legal limit, get them changed as soon as you can.
3. Clean windows for good visibility
Your ability to see through the front, rear, and side windows of your car is clearly very important when driving in any conditions, but particularly when driving in the rain.
For the outside, make sure your wipers are in tip top condition and the screen wash reservoir is topped up with the right screen wash for your vehicle. This will ensure you can see through the most important areas of your front and rear windows.
It’s going to be really obvious if your wipers aren’t working when you’re driving in the rain, less obvious is the state of the inside of your car windows. One thing we commonly see in cars coming in for service is a film of dirt on the inside of the vehicle windows.
Having dust and dirt on the inside of the windows will really impact your visibility while driving. Especially on dark, rainy days in the winter months. It also reduced visibility on bright sunny winter days where the sun is low.
We recommend giving the inside of the vehicle windows a good clean at least once a month.
4. Is your windscreen demister working efficiently?
The windscreen demister is an essential tool to clear your view, and keep it clear, on a cold rainy day.
The efficiency of the demister can be impacted by the pollen filter. So it’s worth getting this checked if you think the demister isn’t working properly.
The pollen filter can get blocked with particulate matter and become damp. Both of these affect the airflow and will stop your air vents working properly.
Vehicle not ready for driving in the rain?
If there is anything we can do to help you make your vehicle safe for driving in the rain, or at any other time, give us a call on 0116 3190 118 or mobile 07850 881 911. You can also get in touch via our contact form.
If you’re in the area, feel free to drop in to our friendly garage at on Shaftsbury Road, Leicester, LE3 0QN.
