Motorists in Laois are urged to drive carefully today after rain overnight and this morning will lead to more difficult driving conditions following the recent dry spell.
AA Roadwatch warned this week that dry roads will be ‘treacherous’ following the first rainfall in a number of weeks.
Oil and rubber on roads are generally washed away when there is regular rain however during dry spells these remain on the road.
”Owing to the recent heatwave, residue on roads mixing with rain will make for extremely slippery conditions on roads and pavements,” posted Laois Weather on Facebook.
”Please drive with extreme caution.”
“When the first rain falls after days of dry weather, road surfaces become greasier than normal,” said the AA.
The Road Safety Authority said that this means that roads “provide less friction for manouevres such as braking and short cornering”.
”To avoid losing control in these conditions, slow down and avoid braking hard.
”Drivers should also increase the braking distances between them and the vehicle in front,” they added, similar to what is recommended in icy conditions.
Carlow Weather reported on Facebook that temperatures dropped to 14.2 degrees over night “with a band of rain in the West now moving East”.
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