Weather conditions

You must always adjust your following distance to the weather conditions. Weather has a big influence on traffic. Rain does not only cause an increased braking distance, but also poorer visibility and a chance of aquaplaning. Some conditions are more obvious, but in other cases you can be surprised by them. Especially when you are inexperienced.

Rutting

Longitudinal grooves that form in the road surface due to heavy load of the road surface, for example due to heavy freight traffic. Stay out of these tracks as much as possible with a moped, snorfiets or speed pedelec.

Aquaplaning

A layer of water between the tyre and the road surface, which decreases the grip of the tyres. The grooves of the tyres are incapable of handling large amounts of water. While this mainly occurs in the grooves of rutting, it can also occur on roads with no rutting.

Rain

The road surface always becomes a little more slippery from rain, but it can also suddenly become extremely slippery if, after a long period of drought, it suddenly starts raining heavily. Built up rubber residue, oil and dirt mix with the water and form a slippery layer on top of the road surface. In autumn, fallen leaves can also become dangerously slippery during rainfall.

In addition, always account for aquaplaning with heavy rainfall, especially when there is a lot of rutting. You mainly prevent aquaplaning by making sure your tyres have good tread and keeping a lower speed. Do not ride in the ruts or through puddles.

Slipperiness due to frost

Wet road sections can freeze over and become extremely slippery in wintry conditions. Mainly road sections that lay in the shadow become slippery quicker and stay slippery longer as they are less heated by the sun.
But on bridges and viaducts you should also consider sudden slipperiness during frost, as these roads also freeze from below. At temperatures of 4°C and below, you can already encounter slipperiness because it can be colder towards the ground. This is also called ground frost.

Slipperiness is treacherous because you cannot always see it beforehand. Always take slipperiness into account at low temperatures by adjusting your speed in bends and at intersections and by maintaining enough distance. You mainly do this by releasing the throttle. Try to avoid braking as much as possible. By the way, riding a moped, snorfiets or speed pedelec is not advised when it is slippery.

Frost damage

A different problem of frost is the damage it inflicts to the road surface. The water in the asphalt freezes and expands. This loosens pebbles and creates weak spots and eventually holes in the top layer of the road surface. The braking distance increases significantly on roads with frost damage. In addition, loose chippings may cause decreased grip.

Wintry precipitation

In addition to forst, snow, sleet (frozen rain) and hail also cause slipperiness and thus danger for traffic. Visibility is also reduced during wintry precipitation. Especially during snowfall, it is more difficult to concentrate on the view in the distance, because your gaze is drawn to the snowflakes close by. Riding during snowfall is therefore extra tiring. You can even ask yourself whether it is even responsible to ride a two-wheeled moped during these conditions.

If there is no other way, or if you suddenly find yourself in wintry conditions, take a few other thinks into account besides the slipperiness. For example, you may not be able to see the lines on the road or certain signs well anymore. Maintain extra distance and ride defensively. Look far ahead, release the throttle in time and never brake abruptly.

Fog

Fog consists of small raindrops that stay in the air. The visibility can be more or less obstructed. Not only because you cannot see through the fog, but also due to the small raindrops on your visor. A lot of drivers startle when they suddenly enter a mist bank and will brake out of reflex. This is difficult to see due to the fog.

Therefore, during fog, maintain more distance and do not brake unnecessarily. Rather just release the throttle and let your speed ease down. Make sure you have good lighting. If your brommobiel is equipped with a rear fog light, only turn it on with a visibility of less than 50 metres.

Crosswind

Windsocks often occur in areas with an increased risk of crosswinds. The more horizontal the windsock is, the stronger the wind is. In addition to that, windsocks also indicate the direction the wind is blowing.
Especially when the wind is transverse to the road, you must account for gusts of wind that can make you start swerving.

Mopeds, snorfietsen and speed pedelecs are quite light. They can therefore be pushed to the side by sudden gusts of wind. Try to anticipate this by timely leaning against the wind. Taller vehicles like lorries and trailers are also affected by crosswinds and can also start swerving.

Obstacles alongside and on the road, such as lorries, viaducts, buildings and forests, can block the wind. You notice this as soon as you pass them. First the wind falls away, to then suddenly return. If you do not account for this, it could cause you to swerve.