The transport ministry, together with the road safety department (JKJR) has issued yet another reminder to motorists to exercise due care when driving in heavy rain, which sounds pretty much like the daily weather in the evening these days, and the message is accompanied by safety tips.
Presented via an infographic, these include not tailing the car in front of you too closely and reducing your speed in rainy conditions, with the latter suggestion being to keep your speed below 80 km/h. The first of course gives you more room to react and avoid a collision should the car in front of you brake suddenly, while the second is sound advice – grip from the tyres diminishes significantly in the wet, and controlling the effects of aquaplaning becomes harder the faster you go.
Other pointers include not driving on the right-most, overtaking lane during or after very heavy rain, because this avoids the effects of potential water splash enveloping your car, sent along from a vehicle in the opposite direction driving through standing water on their lane, although this is probably easier said than done (as in avoiding the use of the overtaking lane altogether).
Also easier noted than accomplished is avoiding stomping on the brakes should you feel the vehicle losing contact with the road, with the advice being to instead allowing the slide and using the steering to gauge traction until the tyres regain grip. Of course, fighting the natural instinct of standing on the brakes in such a scenario is a hard thing to avoid.
Further sound advice includes pulling over and taking a break – at the nearest R&R, if you’re travelling on the highway – should the rain get heavier, and wait for conditions to improve. As for the last tip, it’s something that has been repeated countless times, over the years – do not use the hazard lights in the rain, because as its name indicates, it’s for use in emergencies only.
They are not “double signals”, as they are so often wrongly called in the vernacular. Having them on simply causes confusion for motorists travelling behind the still-moving vehicle, adding unnecessary stress on top of the already reduced visibility for the drivers following. While the advice to avoid using hazard lights might fall on deaf ears for the most, it’s something that needs to be repeated, and you can bet it will be done again in the future.
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Somehow it misses the most important point: turn your headlights on so that others can see you (in front or behind you)
Issue saman to those using hazard lights for no particular reasons. Then people will learn.
Meanwhile, issue summons to road hoggers too. Causing jams everyday hogging middle lane at 70kph when left lane is empty.
AAOOOWWWW
Nobody uses hazard lights with no reason. Cars with some engine or other problems and cannot go fast are with hazard lights. Wrong? Slow driving in heavy rain where vision is not good and no safe shoulder to park by the side may call for hazard lights switched on. And drivers do indicate to the oncoming speeding vehicles that there is a serious hazard ahead, with the same lights and probably flashing the headlights. Summon them?
This advice does not make sense. Using hazard lights in fact does help to improve visibility for the following drivers.
It makes sense and have already been proven.
If moving cars switch on their hazard lights, what do broken down or immobile cars due to accident have to turn on to differentiate themselves from moving traffic?
USE “HAZARD” LIGHTS ONLY WHEN U ARE THE “HAZARD”
Pls take note of what @Squid has replied you cos your perception of when to use the hazard lights are the exact reasons why some innocent ppl have been killed during heavy rain when their vehicle has broken down. These ppl have their hazard lights on letting ppl know their car has stopped but bcos ppl like you think the hazard lights are meant for use on moving vehicles, would end up mowing them down and killing them just bcos you think your “logical” thinking is correct.
No..it causes confusion..are you turning left or right..for goodness sake pls turn on your headlights..then you will be visible..not hazard light pls.
Yes it improve visibility. Nobody is denying that. It is for indicating you as a hazard aka stopped. Why are you driving with it on? How do you signal a lane change with it on?
What doesnt make sense? U got lesen terbangkah?
Hazard light only when u are stopped or almost stopped due to emergency.
Hazard also not for following ambulance with family member inside it. They are already with the better hands and we just drive carefully to hospital.
Hazard also not for following “kereta jenazah”. He/she already dead. No rush to follow them. You WILL meet them. Hopefully not that fast.
If u want to improve visibility during rain, just make sure all the lights are working. Including rear fog lights. If your car doesnt have rear fog lights, just switch on the main light. The rear light will on. That is unless you are too poor to replace broken lights. We are looking at you, MyVI. Lampu brek ketiga pun tak mampu nk tukar.
Do you know that all modern cars are equipped with rear fog/warning light? Do turn it on not the hazard light and when weather permits remember to turn it off which you can refer to the dashboard indicator
Just make sure your headlamps and tail lamps are working and turned on. If you have foglamps (front and rear), you can use them in very heavy rain.
Can you imagine heavy rain on LDP during rush hour and EVERYONE is flashing their hazard lights?
Like what others have mentioned….only use hazard lights to indicate that you are a road hazard to others.
Dont simply use the Double Signal / Hazard light.
unless you are at the Emergency Lane, driving carefully/ stopped with consideration.
Please tell that to the police outriders, both on bikes and cars. Aren’t they setting example to other motorists?
Avoid braking makes sense if you don’t have ABS. But most cars these days do, which means you can press the brake and let the ABS decide when the traction is sufficient. Who writes these safety guides? Seems right for the 1980s…
There are still many cars on the road in Malaysia without ABS and/or ESC.
Typical Malaysian style
Jadikan kesalahan guna hazard light sebagai kesalahan trafik yg jika dilaporkan oleh pihak ke3 dg bukti ,boleh disaman oleh jpj atau polis
Basic driving rules,
1. Turn on the Hazard Light is when the car is not moving to indicate others
2. When it rains heavily that your visibility ahead is poor that you are trying hard to see any car ahead so you are protecting yourself that car behind you could see you when you turn on your head lights.
3. All cars will definitely reduce their speed when visibility is poor, just that careful driver will keep a further distance from the front vehicle due to wet condition.
4. Short and release braking instead of full braking as car may spin if pool of water on the road.