One in five motorists avoids driving due to rain, study claims

And one in 20 of those surveyed say they have also been in an accident because of rainfall

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One in five motorists has been put off a car journey because of the rain over the past year, according to new research.

The UK was hit by a series of torrential downpours last month following storms Ciara, Dennis and Jorge, with the Met Office reporting the wettest February on record.

But a survey of 2,000 motorists has revealed the hindrance the wet weather has been. One-fifth, or 19 per cent of those polled, admitted they had avoided driving because of the rain.

And 12 per cent of drivers polled, the equivalent of four million motorists if extrapolated to the UK population, said they had been prevented from getting to their destination because of heavy rain.

It also emerged that one in 20 respondents had been involved in an accident because of the rain, with 9 per cent having had a near miss.

The research was conducted by OnePoll for Uniroyal Tyres. It also found 36 per cent of motorists did not know how to handle their car when it aquaplanes.

In the event of aquaplaning, motorists should take their foot off the accelerator and allow their speed to reduce until they feel in control of the car again.

They should not brake until they have regained control.

Peter Robb, safety expert at Uniroyal, said: “Heavy rain can make driving a hazardous experience and we always advise motorists to watch their speed and leave a gap of at least four seconds between themselves and the car in front.

“We advise regularly checking the tyre tread depth on your vehicle. For safety when driving in the rain or on wet roads, we recommend that tyres should have a minimum tread depth of 3mm.

“Even if you’re driving with specialist rain tyres like Uniroyal, your stopping distance will be greater on wet roads than on dry roads.”

The latest Met Office data revealed that February was the wettest it has been since records began in 1862. The average rainfall measured across the UK is 209.1mm; this February was 237 per cent over that average

And the downpours in December, January and February overall made the UK’s winter the fifth wettest on record.

Recent Department for Transport figures show there were 51 fatal accidents in 2018 where the contributory factor was a slippery road due to the weather.

On top of this, there were 137 fatal accidents due to travelling too fast for the conditions and 19 deadly crashes as a result of vision being affected by rain, sleet, snow or fog.

The bad weather results in the average British person being unable to get to their destination at least twice a year.

Despite knowing how regularly it rains, the average British person apparently gets drenched four times a year.

The survey found that adults spend nearly £2,500 during their lifetime on wet weather gear like umbrellas and waterproof coats, and yet are often under prepared for the rain.

Here are tips for driving in heavy rain:

1 Ensure your tyres have good tread depth of 3.3mm, with a tread depth gauge

2 Watch your speed

3 Leave plenty of distance between you and the car in front.

4 Use your headlights on dipped beam

5 Use your air conditioning to prevent internal condensation

6 Take your foot off the accelerator if you aquaplane; do not brake until in control of the vehicle

SWNS