Drivers are being advised to take to the roads extra cautiously this weekend following weather reports of heavy rain and thunderstorms.

The Met Office has issued a yellow warning for rain, wind, and thunderstorms with drivers in the South East along with those in the South West and South Midlands singled out as being most at risk this weekend.

National network manager at Highways England, Amy Shaw, said: “It’s really important for people to adapt their driving in rain.

“Rain makes it harder for tyres to grip the road and harder for drivers to see ahead – significantly increasing the chances of being involved in a collision.

“Hail showers on higher ground can also create issues. These can happen with very little warning, resulting in shortlived but treacherous driving conditions."

In wet weather Highways England advises drivers to:

  • Slow down if the rain and spray from vehicles is making it difficult to see and be seen and remember that stopping distances will be at least double in wet weather, because your tyres will have less grip on the road.
  • Keep well back from the vehicle in front as this will increase your ability to see and plan ahead.
  • Ease off the accelerator and slow down gradually if the steering becomes unresponsive as it probably means that water is preventing the tyres from gripping the road.

With the further easing of lockdown restrictions, and the first weekend of the school holidays, traffic levels are expected to be higher than usual.

Highways England advice those driving at the weekend on long journeys to ensure they always do the following before heading out on the road:

  • Take bottles of water with you to ensure you stay hydrated;
  • Plan and leave plenty of time for journeys;
  • Check the weather forecast for your destination;
  • Check travel conditions before setting out and, where it is safe to do so, during journeys;
  • Ensure you and your cars are fit for the journey, particularly tyre pressures and condition of tyres.

WHO Research suggests traffic fatalities decreased during the coronavirus pandemic as fewer people were out on the roads, however average speeds from motor vehicles went up, in part due to drivers having less traffic to slow them down.

Traffic is expected to increase however as the county continues to open up.

Further research suggests that for every 1kph in speed, fatal crashes increase by around 5%.