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Top 5 tips for driving in the rain

With the cost of young driver insurance often much higher than for other motorists, it is wise to understand how to avoid accidents - and there is a common hazard in the UK that young drivers would do well to master.

Driving in the rain can be treacherous. When a stormy downpour is pounding on the windscreen while motoring along one of Britain's dual carriageways or rural roads, it's not difficult to imagine a crash may be coming up soon.

Here are five of the top tips for safer driving in the wet:

1. Slow down
As soon as the clouds open and water tumbles out of the sky as sheets, then drivers who don't cut their speed dice with death. Visibility is often reduced and roads become more slippery. It is vital to slow down for your sake and the sake of your passengers.

2. Turn on headlights
The sky darkens when it rains and general visibility conditions worsen. By switching on dipped headlights - not full beam - it helps to be seen on roads that have become less safe to drive on. When should you turn on headlights? The easy rule to remember is windscreen wipers on, lights on.

3. Be cautious
Roads are well known for becoming slick and much more slippery when it rains, especially after a spell of dry weather. Dust, oil and other dirt at these times can mix with rain water on road surfaces making them perilous. Brake earlier and with less force to prevent skidding.

4. Keep your distance
How many times have you watched vehicles in rainy conditions driving close to cars, lorries and trucks ahead of them? This is a recipe for disaster and is how accidents such as pile ups happen. Obey the two-second rule - slowly recount the words, "Only a fool breaks the two-second rule". By following this mantra, when you get to "rule" should be where the next vehicle is on the road ahead of you.

5. More travel time
Remember - slowing down during rain will add to your journey time. Traffic tends to slow in wet conditions and you need to accept that you are likely to arrive later at your destination. Other cars could be involved in accidents and roads may be jammed or flooded. Trying to rush in bad weather is more risky and hazardous.

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Knowing how to drive more safely in the wet can prevent accidents for young drivers, thus keeping down future car insurance premiums.

If you have kept accident-free since your last renewal, you may be pleasantly surprised, as a young driver, how much your premium has reduced. For a quick quote, apply online now.

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