Spring can be a dangerous time for Maine drivers. Even though Mark Twain wasn’t concerned about driver safety as he addressed a room of New Englanders in 1876, he nevertheless noted, “In the spring, I have counted 136 different kinds of weather inside of 24 hours.” Having lived in Connecticut for many years, Twain was familiar with the fierce unpredictability of Spring in the Eastern United States. Had he been a resident of Maine, however, Twain may have noted an even more mercurial and unpredictable Springtime weather pattern.
When it comes to driver safety, Maine’s volatile spring weather conditions should never be taken lightly. Although it’s tempting to relax a bit when the sun begins to shine and the days grow longer, springtime in Maine is truly a dangerous time for motorists. Drivers should prepare themselves for emergency road conditions during the spring months, just as they do during the challenging winter driving season.
During the erratic spring months, when weather conditions vary quickly, it can be difficult to predict road conditions with any degree of certainty. Within a very short period of time, conditions can swing wildly between blue skies, rain, snow, sleet and hail. That makes it even more important to brush up on spring safe driving tips, keep your vehicle in good working condition, and minimize distractions while driving. Brushing up on spring driving safety tips will help keep you and your family safer on the road, and may even save a life.
Maine Spring Driving Safety Tips: Don’t Forget About Old Man Winter Just Yet!
Although the days are getting longer and spring is in the air, don’t forget about your winter driving safety skills just yet. Snowstorms pop up throughout the spring months, so it’s important to keep winter supplies in your vehicle in March and April (and yes, sometimes even into May). Black ice is also often a hazard in the spring months, so it’s important to slow down and watch for slick, wet-looking pavement when the temperatures begin to drop. Many drivers don’t think about icy conditions when spring rolls around, but it’s important to keep your winter driving skills in mind, even as the weather begins to warm up.
Maine Spring Safety Tips: Watch Out For Fog
Fog is another serious spring driving hazard in Maine. According to Maine.gov, standing snowpack, rainy spring weather and fluctuating temperatures set the stage for heavy Spring fog, which can happen very quickly. Fog may start off patchy in some areas then become dense quickly in nearby areas, so it’s important to slow down when conditions become foggy. Do not use your high beam headlights (keep your headlights on low). If the fog iis dense consider driving with your emergency four way flashers on, and watch carefully for stranded vehicles (both on the shoulder of the road and on the roadway itself). You may come up on stranded or slow moving vehicles very quickly in foggy conditions, which is why it’s so important to drive slowly and cautiously when Springtime fogs set in.
Maine Spring Driving Safety Tips: Beware of Heavy Spring Rains
Heavy spring rains often cause areas of standing water on roadways, especially when cycles of freezes and thaws, combined with mud and debris, clog storm drains. When driving through standing water, slow down. If you drive too fast over an area of standing water, you risk losing control of your vehicle and hydroplaning. To stay safe in rainy Spring weather, make sure you have good tires on your car with an adequate amount of tread, and check your wiper blades to make sure they are in good working order. In a heavy rain storm, leave extra distance between vehicles. Vehicles in front of you may throw excessive amounts of water from their tires, which can obscure your vision, no matter how fast your windshield wipers are moving.
Maine Spring Driving Safety Tips: Watch Out For Potholes
Potholes are worsened when heavy Spring rains run into cracks in the roadways. When water repeatedly freezes and thaws, potholes become larger and more dangerous to motorists. Potholes can also be extremely difficult to see if they are covered by standing water, mud or other roadway debris. Even if you travel a route often, you can still be surprised by a pothole in an area of roadway that wasn’t there just days before. It’s wise to slow down and watch for potholes in the Spring, especially when traveling over standing water that makes the road surface harder to see. Potholes can cause significant damage to your vehicle or make it more difficult to steer or maintain control of your vehicle if you are driving too fast for conditions.
Maine Spring Driving Safety Tips: Be On the Lookout For Increased Cyclists, Pedestrians, Etc.
As the weather becomes warmer, there are bound to be more bicyclists, motorcycles, runners and pedestrians on the roadways. In order to avoid tragic traffic accidents, drivers should always minimize distractions while driving, especially from cell phones and other electronic devices. Drivers should never text while driving. Motorists should always pay attention to their driving in order to avoid deadly accidents with cyclists and other outdoor enthusiasts who they must safely and mindfully share the roadway with at all times.
We hope our spring safety tips for driving in Maine help keep you and your family safer this season. However, if you or a loved one has been involved in an automobile accident, or injured in a car accident, please contact one of our experienced Maine personal injury lawyers at Hardy, Wolf and Downing. For your convenience, the caring attorneys at Hardy, Wolf and Downing will direct you to an experienced Lewiston personal injury lawyer or Portland personal injury lawyer who will handle your family’s personal injury case with the utmost care and concern. Our personal injury lawyers will assist your family in every aspect of your case, and help you get the compensation you deserve for your injuries. Don’t make the mistake of battling insurance companies and lawyers on your own. Hire the best Maine personal injury lawyers- the Hardy, Wolf and Downing personal injury team.
We provide our blog as a service to our clients. They are meant to be purely informational. If you or a loved one has been in an accident and would like a free consultation with a personal injury attorney, please call our firm today at 1-800-INJURED to start understanding your legal rights.