Safe Driving

Do you check weather forecast before you hit the road? You should.

One time in the summer we were driving in our Jeep Cherokee from Toronto to Red Bay on Bruce Peninsula. Under normal conditions it is about a 3.5 hour drive on a Friday night (we used to go away each weekend right after work). About half way through our trip a heavy storm started.

Well, rain or even a storm is not a very serious condition for any SUV, however, this time was different. Just as it was getting darker and darker, the rain was getting heavier and heavier. It finally reached a point beyond any downpour I have ever seen. It was as if buckets of water were being poured on our windshield. The visibility was almost zero and we could hardly tell where we were going. On the other hand, as I am sure you realize, it is extremely dangerous to stop on the shoulder of the road in such weather conditions, since other drivers may just follow your rear lights and it can result in a big crash. Therefore we kept slowly moving forward, watching closely for other cars’ lights and anything else we could see.

My son, then 5 year-old was sleeping soundly in his car seat, totally unaware of the situation. And thank God. But I was never so scared of driving in my life. Finally we got to some traffic lights at an intersection, rare on this country road, and I could figure out a gas station on the other side of the road. Then I directed my husband, who could not see where he was going, to drive through the intersection and to the gas station and park there on the side. He still doesn’t know how we made it, since I was the only one who saw the way (he had to concentrate on driving and I was concentrating on seeing). But we made it safely and waited through the worst part of the storm.

Night driving in bad weather is really difficult, but it becomes even more difficult when you are going camping and your car is stuffed up to the roof with all the equipment. Your visibility is reduced. It can be even more dangerous when you are driving a big, clumsy motorhome or hauling a big trailer. Road conditions should be of the most importance to you since your manoeuvrability it compromised.

I can honestly say that we are lucky we made it safely to our destination that night. However, I just cannot imagine us being so successful if we had a big truck or trailer to manoeuvre.

So next time you are driving at night, watch the forecast and try to avoid any heavy storms.

Better safe than sorry.