Another round of rain is coming to Georgia today, which means police departments are getting ready for the usual instances of Georgia drivers completely forgetting how to drive.
What’s Happening: The Forsyth County Police Department posted rain driving reminders today that should not need to exist. Turn on headlights. Turn off flashers. Slow down. Leave space between cars.
What’s Important: Georgia drivers love flipping on their hazard lights while driving through rain, apparently under the impression they are piloting emergency vehicles. Police say this makes roads more dangerous, not safer.
Between the Lines: Hazard lights tell other drivers a vehicle is stopped or disabled. When everyone is blinking like a Christmas tree while moving, no one can tell who is actually in trouble. The rain is falling on all of us equally. We are all experiencing the same weather event at the same time. Should you feel the need to use flashers in the rain because that rain is more of an emergency to you than others, Police kindly advise you to pull of into the nearest parking lot until the rain subsides.
What Police Actually Want: Manually turn on headlights so tail lights work too. Keep hazard flashers off unless the car is actually stopped. Slow down and leave space between vehicles.
The Big Picture: Every single time rain appears in a Georgia forecast, police departments transform into weary parents explaining the same rules to the same children. The warnings suggest a disturbing number of licensed drivers believe hazard lights are a magical force field against hydroplaning.
The Sources: Forsyth County Police Department.
B.T. Clark
B.T. Clark is an award-winning journalist and the Publisher of The Georgia Sun. He has 25 years of experience in journalism and served as Managing Editor of Neighbor Newspapers in metro Atlanta for 15 years and Digital Director at Times-Journal Inc. for 8 years. His work has appeared in several newspapers throughout the state including Neighbor Newspapers, The Cherokee Tribune and The Marietta Daily Journal. He is a Georgia native and a fifth-generation Georgian.
