It's Autumn again.
Those words that the Weathermen love to bandy about:
Shorter days, Sunshine and showers, sun low in the sky, lovely clear frosty mornings,
misty patches. To a photographer these phrases may produce all sorts of ideas for beautiful, atmospheric landscape photos. Then that same photographer has to think about driving to the correct place to take the photos.
They become a different challenges.
Shorter days. The sunrises later, and sets earlier. Many commuters will be driving in the dark both to and from work, maybe for the next 4 months. If the sun does appear during the drive, it will be coming slowly just over the horizon, shining brightly along the roads, and into mirrors.
Sunshine and showers. That means the sun could well be shining brightly, and reflecting off wet tarmac or puddles, back up off the road, into a driver's eyes. That same sun is going to produce areas of bright sunshine, and areas of deep shadows.
It's raining, then it's not, then it is again. Wipers on, wipers off, wipers on again. Are the wiper blades sliding smoothly and quietly across the screen, clearing all the liquid as it goes? If the wipers are not doing their job, get rid of them. Replace them as soon as you can with a new set. Sunglasses on, sunglasses off. Do they keep steaming up when you wear them? Maybe you need to bring them into the house with you at night, so they don't get so cold at night, so they don't steam up as soon as they get close to your warm face.
Clear frosty mornings. Make sure the windscreen (both inside and out) and mirrors are completely clear of frost, ice, or snow before you drive off. There is no point driving, if you cannot see where you are driving, and is it safe to drive there? No harsh braking, no harsh steering, no harsh acceleration. Drive smoothly.
Make sure that your lights are visible, and working. It is also a legal requirement to ensure your number plate is visible. Highway Code rules Icy and snowy weather (228 to 231).
Misty patches. They are so atmospheric, peaceful, and beautiful to a photographer, sudden and frightening to a driver. That same driver may be driving safely along a dry bright road, and go round a bend, or into a dip, or up over a slight rise, or a bridge, and drive straight into a patch of mist or fog, where the road surface will be damp, the temperature will be colder because the sun cannot burn through the mist onto the road surface, and, of course, that same driver can see considerably less than just a few moments ago. This needs an urgent but careful reduction in speed, to match the sudden change in visible stopping distance.
The general guidance and advice would be to give yourself extra time to warm the car up before travelling. Make sure you can see out of all the windows and mirrors, that the wipers are working properly, and be prepared for sudden changes in weather and driving conditions. Keep back from the vehicle in-front, giving you more time to slow down gradually. Be aware.
Further suggestions and Rules can be found in:
My Pages on driving in bad weather
The On-line Highway Code
Those words that the Weathermen love to bandy about:
Shorter days, Sunshine and showers, sun low in the sky, lovely clear frosty mornings,
misty patches. To a photographer these phrases may produce all sorts of ideas for beautiful, atmospheric landscape photos. Then that same photographer has to think about driving to the correct place to take the photos.
They become a different challenges.
Shorter days. The sunrises later, and sets earlier. Many commuters will be driving in the dark both to and from work, maybe for the next 4 months. If the sun does appear during the drive, it will be coming slowly just over the horizon, shining brightly along the roads, and into mirrors.
Sunshine and showers. That means the sun could well be shining brightly, and reflecting off wet tarmac or puddles, back up off the road, into a driver's eyes. That same sun is going to produce areas of bright sunshine, and areas of deep shadows.
It's raining, then it's not, then it is again. Wipers on, wipers off, wipers on again. Are the wiper blades sliding smoothly and quietly across the screen, clearing all the liquid as it goes? If the wipers are not doing their job, get rid of them. Replace them as soon as you can with a new set. Sunglasses on, sunglasses off. Do they keep steaming up when you wear them? Maybe you need to bring them into the house with you at night, so they don't get so cold at night, so they don't steam up as soon as they get close to your warm face.
Clear frosty mornings. Make sure the windscreen (both inside and out) and mirrors are completely clear of frost, ice, or snow before you drive off. There is no point driving, if you cannot see where you are driving, and is it safe to drive there? No harsh braking, no harsh steering, no harsh acceleration. Drive smoothly.
Make sure that your lights are visible, and working. It is also a legal requirement to ensure your number plate is visible. Highway Code rules Icy and snowy weather (228 to 231).
Misty patches. They are so atmospheric, peaceful, and beautiful to a photographer, sudden and frightening to a driver. That same driver may be driving safely along a dry bright road, and go round a bend, or into a dip, or up over a slight rise, or a bridge, and drive straight into a patch of mist or fog, where the road surface will be damp, the temperature will be colder because the sun cannot burn through the mist onto the road surface, and, of course, that same driver can see considerably less than just a few moments ago. This needs an urgent but careful reduction in speed, to match the sudden change in visible stopping distance.
The general guidance and advice would be to give yourself extra time to warm the car up before travelling. Make sure you can see out of all the windows and mirrors, that the wipers are working properly, and be prepared for sudden changes in weather and driving conditions. Keep back from the vehicle in-front, giving you more time to slow down gradually. Be aware.
Further suggestions and Rules can be found in:
My Pages on driving in bad weather
The On-line Highway Code
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