Freezing, slippery and sunny

In the autumn, roads are getting more and more dangerous, and it is due to the leaves, fogs, freeze and blinding sun above the horizon. What to do in this conditions to be security?

Leaves
Falling and lingering in the streets leaves can be a big challenge for drivers. While driving on them dynamically, the adhesion can be lost easily, especially if it is raining. In addition, falling leaves can cover signs, signage and lanes, significantly hindering the ride. Driving on a wet road covered with leaves is similar to driving on icy surfaces. – In such situations let’s avoid heavy braking and sudden turns. The key issue is also to keep a distance from the car in front of us, having in mind that braking distance on wet leaves is much longer - Zbigniew Weseli, director of Renault Safe Driving School says.

Freeze
Freeze is the most common on the roads at night and in the morning. The danger associated with it comes from the fact that ice, at a temperature between 0°C and 3°C, is not completely frozen. Its surface is covered with a thin, invisible and extremely slippery coating of water. This effect called black ice is particularly dangerous because it is invisible. – These are very difficult conditions for the drivers. Here, the biggest risk factor is an excessive speed. When a driver notices a shiny surface of the road and does not hear the characteristic sound of friction of tires on asphalt, it could mean that surface is icy. Then it is the best to brake gently. When the temperature drops, black ice occurs faster and remains longer in places not reached by the sun, for example: on bridges and viaducts, because heat from the ground does not reach them.

Mists
The autumn aura is also often accompanied by fogs. While driving a car in such conditions, first of all you must slow down and keep a safe distance from the car in front of you. Proper use of fog lamps and high beams is also important; the drivers have often problem with them. - Fog lights can be used when visibility drops below 50 meters and immediately turned off when conditions are better, because these lights can blind drivers. Let us remember not to use high beams during fog, because they can only worsen visibility.


The most dazzling sun is early in the morning or late in the afternoon when it is low on the horizon. Then the angle of incidence of the sun often makes sunshades useless. That is why, in the autumn and winter drivers need sunglasses, preferably with polarized lenses that can neutralize dazzling reflections. Autumn sun can be even more burdensome and dangerous than the one in summer.