October is the month that sees the most road deaths in Belgium, Touring highlighted on Tuesday, urging drivers to take extreme caution on the roads. The causes: wet road surfaces, fallen leaves, mud on the roads from farm vehicles and the sun so low in the sky. Touring says that the transition from one season to another and to different weather conditions mean people should adapt their driving. Every year an average of 135 people are killed and 8,000 injured on our roads over the course of October and November, which represents about a fifth of the annual death toll at the scene (676 in 2013) and more than 20% of the total number of people injured (40,603 in 2013).
The organisation recommends motorists clean their car windows regularly, both inside and out, that they check washer fluid level and clean headlights on a regular basis and replace tyres before the grooves reach a depth of 2mm in order to reduce the risk of their vehicle hydroplaning.
Touring also recommends drivers avoid breaking if they feel the car is sliding and to instead change down gears and hold the steering wheel steady. They advise motorists to always have a pair of sunglasses in the car and to use the sun visor whenever necessary.
The association also reminds us that, in foggy or rainy motorway conditions at a speed of 120km/hr, we should always leave a safety distance of two seconds or 66 meters.
(Source: Belga)
