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Rider Safety - Riding in Rain Tips
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First and foremost: slow down! It takes longer to stop or adjust in wet weather. Stay toward the middle lanes - water tends to pool in the outside lanes. Maintain proper following distance (2 Second Rule). This needs to be doubled in wet weather. Any position should be sacrificed for safety. Centre position should be avoided in wet weather due to older vehicles drop engine oil or diesel which could be deposited specially at roundabouts and junctions.
Don't follow large trucks or buses too closely. The spray created by their large tires reduces your vision. Take care when passing them as well; if you must pass, do so quickly and safely. Be more alert when driving in wet or slippery conditions. Watch out for brake lights in front of you. Avoid using your brakes; if possible, use proper acceleration sense to slow down. Turn your headlights on even in a light rain, or in gloomy, foggy or overcast conditions. Not only do they help you see the road, but they'll help other drivers see you. If your bike has daytime running lights you still should put them on, so vehicles behind you can see you better. Before it starts to rain, replace good tyres. You are not driving a car which has 4 times A4 size of traction on the road, your bike has only two wheels and the traction is less than 2 inches. Don not wait for absolute minimum legal tread depth to appear which is only 1mm.
Avoid off-road riding: it's hard to judge the actual depth of puddles and you can easily become stuck, even in a 4WD. Never ride beyond the limits of visibility. At night rainy roads become especially treacherous. The glare of oncoming lights, amplified by the rain on your visor, can cause temporary loss of visibility while substantially increasing rider fatigue. In rainy conditions pedestrians, livestock, and wildlife are extremely hard to spot and even harder to avoid. Never ride through moving water if you can't see the ground through it; your bike could be swept off the road. When riding through a puddle of uncertain depth, go slow. If it's deeper than the bottom of your feet, turn around and find another route. Deep water can cause serious damage to a modern motorcycle's electrical system.
Avoid splashing pedestrians. If possible, stay off the road during heavy thunderstorms. Large flashes of lightning can temporarily blind and disorient other drivers, and the accompanying high winds and heavy rain can create deadly driving & riding conditions. Slow down! This should be obvious but it also very important. People are so used to driving certain speeds on certain roads that sometimes they forget the need to slow down when inclement weather presents itself.