With heavy rain forecast for the West Coast tomorrow after an extended dry spell, the NZ Transport Agency is urging motorists to take extra care travelling about the region.
“After the extended dry spell, motorists should expect road and driving conditions to be slippery and dangerous with the rain,” says the Transport Agency’s Regional Performance Manager Pete Connors.
“Throughout the recent dry spell, dust, dirt, oil and other debris would have built up on the road surface and when it rains, these can make driving conditions quite treacherous.
“Conditions are at the worst in the first few hours of any rain falling, and light rain tends to be more of a challenge than a heavy downpour.”
Mr Connors says after weeks of driving in dry weather, motorists need to allow more time for travel when it rains.
“One of the common causes of a wet weather crash is driving too fast. Reducing speed 10kph below the legal limit and keeping your distance will greatly reduce the risk of a crash; vehicles need two to three times more stopping distance on wet roads.”
For more information please contact:
Jan McCarthy
Media Manager - Christchurch
T: 64 3 964 2885
M: 021 427 442
jan.mccarthy@nzta.govt.nz
