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Thursday, March 8, 2012

Sydney's had some rain!!!

Hyde Park Steps, Sydney, this morning.

Steps from the Pavilion to the beach at Bondi Beach, this morning

Going under ... Flash flooding at Renwick Street in Marrickville, Sydney.

Flooded rail lines between Bexley North and Bardwell Park stations. Photo: Alan Lee
It's not much of a visit to Sydney for the passengers of the biggest cruise liner to ever dock in the city. Thanks to reader Shane Joseph for the photo


It's been so long since Sydney-siders experienced so much rain - many are young enough for this to be their first 'serious rain' after two decades of drought - that the National Road Motorists Association (NRMA) put out the following bulletin, sending it by text to all members whose mobile (cell) phone numbers they had on record:

10 wet weather driving tips
1. Use your headlights – NOT your parking lights (there’s a reason they’re called parking lights). While you might not need lights to illuminate the road ahead, they’re essential for helping other cars see you, especially when vision is reduced. Many modern cars have automatic headlights that may not come on during rain, so manually switch the lights on if required.

2. Consider using foglights, but only in very heavy rain or fog. Rear foglights, in particular, can be handy in making your car more visible. But remember to turn them off once the weather has cleared because there are fines for using foglights when they’re not required.

3. Drive slowly through water running across the road to avoidaqua-planing.

4. Don’t drive through puddles if you can avoid it. If you hit a puddle on one side of the car only it can drag the car to one side.

5. Use air-conditioning (on recirculated air with the heater on if required) to demist a fogged up car.

6. If you’re struggling to see the road ahead try to move to the left lane and consider using your hazard lights to warn drivers behind you.

7. If the rain is so heavy you need to stop make sure you do so in a safe place where you are visible to other road users.

8. Never drive through running water unless you know it’s shallow; even slow-flowing creeks or rivers can carry a heavy car away if they’re deeper than 20 or 30cm. 

9. Drive slowly through standing water to avoid damaging your vehicle (ingesting water in the engine can lead to major damage) and hitting submerged objects. As a general rule most regular passenger cars can drive through about 20 or 30cm of water, while four-wheel-drives have a limit of about 50cm. Any deeper and you risk major engine damage and a car full of water.

10. Avoid potholes. Apart from the edges of the potholes themselves causing tyre damage, often sharp objects collect in them during heavy rain



3 comments:

LindaG said...

I can't count the number of times I've told my sons to use their headlights because it helps someone else see THEM.
Crazy weather. Hope the rain stops soon!

momto8 said...

oh my goodness...that is a lot of rain!! and what pictures!!
Thanks for the driving tips..I know people greatly underestimate the force of water...
I am your newest follower..pls follow back if you can.
wishing you sunny days!

Maria said...

We had a lot of rain last summer and what I clearly remember the most? BUGS. Hope everything simmers down soon.