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THE ROAD SAFETY Authority has warned motorists to take extra care on the roads today following a forecast of heavy rain.
The RSA said that the forecast heavy rain and a risk of thundery downpours throughout the country this weekend.
As this downpour will come at the end of a dry spell, it poses an extra risk to motorists.
RSA CEO Moyagh Murdock warned that roads are more slippery when it rains after a dry spell.
“Roads are at their most slippery when the weather breaks after a dry spell,” said Murdock.
“When the weather breaks, this deposit mixes with rainwater and the road becomes hazardous.
The resulting greasy road surface increases stopping distances and the risk of a skid. The sudden change in driving conditions can also catch drivers off guard.
The expected rainfall and the condition of roads will make driving particularly hazardous as road surfaces become slippery reducing skid resistance.
The RSA is advising motorists to:
Gardaí are today implementing the force’s annual ‘Slow Down day’, an intensive operation that last year detected 927 speeding offences.
The operation will see gardaí running high-visibility speed checks in a range of designated ‘speed enforcement zones’ nationwide.
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“Don’t tailgate”, if only people would listen
Ireland gets a few days of sun and the tar melts…we get rain and the surface becomes dangerous…what crap is the road made from
@Terry O’Callaghan: Drivers here are bad in any weather
@Terry O’Callaghan: you just answered your own question . Is made of crap
Walking along the streets in cork it hard to stand up straight, slipping and sliding with every step.
@Lily: Had a few lunch time drinks did we?
@Lily: Patrick’s street is lethal after rain, like an ice rink with the stone slabs they have for the widened pavements
Enda’s fault!
Get a set of Pirelli Aquathread and this is irrelevant
Worth every penny
@Quentin Moriarty: Pirelli Aquathread?
@John O’Shea: brand and model of tyre John
@Gordon Jono Power: I knew that much Gordon thanks. Just myself, Pirelli and google have never heard of these mystical Pirelli Aquathreads.
@John O’Shea: I think it’s the P400 Aquamile – the power of Google :-)
So a couple of days with no precipitation is a “dry spell”, OK, I suppose it is in Ireland…
Drive accordingly to weather and don’t buy an aerodynamic superlight car . My car is old and heavy and crappy roads rain gale snow hail frost or sun it does not make a blind bit of difference . My friend says oh girl be careful there’s ora he or yellow alert I go yeah well I just got home didn’t notice was it windy yeah a bit . Takes three hours to drive home so what’s the hurry for ? Give space and let the others in the hurry go.
@WilhelminaMCallaghan: sorry orange or yellow gale alert
@WilhelminaMCallaghan: three hours to get home!! What commute have you got?
@WilhelminaMCallaghan: I think aerodynamic cars are best – less energy from the wind causing them to be blown off course? And the weight … I would have thought that a ton or so of car is going to be as planted on the road as a ton and a half.
I’m sure it’s tyres, traction, torque delivery and that kind of thing that matters. Good tyres and a traction control system. But obviously it’s the nut behind the wheel that matters most
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