How to Drive Safely During a Power Outage in Your Area
Few things are scarier than driving at night with no street lighting or any light whatsoever. Power outages are frequent during the rainy season, in the winter, or after a storm. If you are caught in the darkness, you have to find a way to get home safely without crashing your vehicle or getting stranded on the road. Here are a few driving tips that can help in increasing your safety during a power black-out.
Watch out for flooded roads
If the power goes out during a rainy night, the last thing you want is to be found driving on a flooded street. Unless you are entirely familiar with the road's terrain, driving through a flooded area can be dangerous. With no light, you may be unable to estimate the depth of the water. Your vehicle can easily sink or get swept away by the floods. To avoid this, do not drive through a flooded road. Look for another route to get to your destination or wait for the water to drain. Alternatively, you can contact a 24-hour towing company to come to your rescue since their trucks can easily maneuver the worst of situations.
Beware of intersections
If you come to an intersection and the stoplight is out, you may be tempted to speed through. Unless the road is entirely clear from all sides, this can be overly dangerous. In this case, you need to treat the intersection as a four-way stop. The four-way stop, also known as right-of-way, works in the following ways:
- The car that arrives at the intersection first should be given the right of way.
- If you and another driver reach the intersection at the same time, you should yield if the other vehicle is on your right; otherwise, you should be given the right of way.
Always have your safety in mind during these situations. If a driver refuses to yield, give them the right of way anyway. This will avoid headaches and also save you from a gruesome accident that can occur due to a collision.
Pay attention to zebra crossings
Just because there is a power outage doesn't mean that people don't need to use the roads. The last thing you want is to knock down someone because you didn't see a zebra crossing ahead of you. Watch out for such zones and slow down when you approach them to ensure that no one is crossing. You can have your headlights on full to enable proper visibility of the road ahead of you.
Follow these tips to ensure safety when driving during an outage. However, if there is inclement weather or you are unable to drive, you should contact a towing company so that they can help transport the vehicle to your home or another safe location.
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