In my Country, Italy, the problem of windy roads is a reality. Italy is a mountainous peninsula surrounded by the sea, exposed to winds from the mountain and from the sea. The most dangerous situation, I think is that of certain highways that cross the hills and mountains from a valley to the parallel one, with an alternation of tunnels and bridges over a valley. When there’s a strong wind, mainly the cold wind from the NORTH, called over here “Tramontana”, or the “Scirocco”, coming from SOUTH-EAST, these blows run along the valleys, suddenly investing by one side all vehicles going out from a tunnel at full speed, to find themselves, after few metres, on the highway bridge. Here, a sudden blow can make loose the control of your car causing a serious accident if too violent, or simply make you skid for some short moments, until you recover the control of your car direction. In such situations, you must be very careful, slowing down much, (but not suddenly!) your vehicle BEFORE getting out the tunnel, if possible not using the brake, but simply leaving totally the accelerator and changing the gear to a lower one. I also remember of having felt a certain fear more than once, when invested by such sudden blows, just got out from a highway tunnel. This condition is very likely along the Ligurian highways, always crossing the mountains. The road management authorities, today, warn with informative panels and boards before the entrance of the highways and along them to warn of this danger and it’s really the case to follow their indications. Then, you should hold the steer with security, absolutely avoiding any overtaking. Of course, the danger increases in case of strong wind with rain or snow or by night. In these cases, if the road is still open by the authorities, you must drive very slowly and carefully, with all lights on, avoiding sudden motions with your vehicle. The danger is more serious also if you drive a vehicle with a side surface wider than a car, like a caravan, a lorry (even more if with a trailer), a coach, or whatever vehicle with a volume covered by fabric and plastic surfaces that can be torn and swept away to hit other vehicles and create a terrible chain of accidents. In these cases, you shouldn’t continue your travel along that street or highway, waiting for better weather conditions, because tightening and checking your plastic covers could be useless. Also motorbikes risk much for the wind along the roads, because much lighter than a car and with a wide and flat side surface, also considering that, from what I have always seen, motorbikes use to run much faster than cars along our roads. The problem of motorbikes is that their drivers, with their only physical strength, couldn’t be able to resist to a sudden and strong wind blow. So, the first advice is that of slowing down much the motorbike, for not adding your speed to that of a contrary or side wind. I talked mainly about the danger on the highways because just there the vehicles speed is the highest, but the wind danger is high along many bridges and in the tropical regions or in those hit frequently by tornadoes (Central U.S., Cuba, Mexico, China, Philippines,…) where the winds can be extremely strong and violent, even able to make fly cars, lorries and even houses. In these cases, if you see that the tornado is getting towards you, invert immediately your direction and drive in the opposite one respect the tornado. If this is not enough, leave your car for not to fly with it and run into a depression, or inside a house, wherever you can find a shelter from the wind and mainly the many objects and debris carried by this, that can kill you in a moment. Surely, the American friends have more experience than me about the hurricane winds and how to face them. Category:Home › Autos • Will the trend toward economy-size car models lead Americans back to buying smaller-sized cars? — part 2 • You should never use after-market auto parts when maintaining or fixing your car • Should a new car be rust-proofed? • Will the trend toward economy-size car models lead Americans back to buying smaller-sized cars? — part 1 • Five safest cars in North America • How to ensure your teen drives safely after getting a license • Pros and cons of using an hydrogen generator for your car • DIY automotive maintenance: How to change the oil