Cape Town ranks third for risky driving weather

Cape Town’s mix of strong winds, heavy rain and changing weather has placed the city among Africa’s highest-ranked urban centres for potentially hazardous driving conditions, according to a new international study.

The analysis by car insurance expert MoneySuperMarket ranked the Mother City third in Africa, with an overall driving weather risk score of 53.7 out of 100. Tunis, Tunisia, took the top spot with 59.6, narrowly ahead of Dar es Salaam in Tanzania, which scored 59.4.

The study assessed three years of meteorological data from 138 cities worldwide, examining conditions that can make driving more difficult, including extreme heat, freezing temperatures, heavy rainfall, strong winds and unpredictable weather patterns.

Cape Town’s ranking was driven largely by its wet and windy weather risk score, which reached 18.6 out of 25. This was the highest score in that category among the African cities listed in the study.

The city recorded a hot weather risk score of 14.5, a cold weather risk score of 11.5 and an erratic weather risk score of 9.1.

The findings place Cape Town ahead of Johannesburg, which ranked fourth in Africa with an overall score of 51.4. Johannesburg recorded a higher erratic weather risk score of 17.6, compared with Cape Town’s 9.1.

The results relate specifically to weather conditions that may affect driving. They do not measure overall road safety, traffic collision rates or the likelihood of an individual driver being involved in a crash.

Meanwhile, Tunis topped the African ranking, largely due to its high hot weather risk score of 23.4 out of 25. Only Cairo scored higher in that category, with 24.3, although the Egyptian capital ranked eighth overall.

Dar es Salaam placed second and recorded Africa’s highest erratic weather risk score, at 20.7 out of 25. Lagos ranked sixth overall, with a score of 48.8, also reflecting a relatively high erratic weather risk score of 15.2.

The remaining cities in the top ten were Johannesburg, Casablanca, Accra, Cairo, Nairobi and Addis Ababa.

Cape Town’s position highlights how local weather can be an important consideration when planning a journey, particularly during periods of heavy rainfall or strong winds.

Cape {town} Etc recently reported on a Western Cape weather alert warning motorists about slippery roads, reduced visibility and longer stopping distances during periods of significant rainfall.

The report also highlighted the potential for flooding and traffic disruptions across parts of the province.

The study also found that weather-related driving risks are not limited to African cities. Dallas in the United States ranked first globally, with a score of 72.5 out of 100, followed by Osaka in Japan at 70.0 and Houston in the United States at 68.9.

Other cities in the global top 15 included Bucharest, Florence, Washington DC, Kuala Lumpur and New Orleans. Their scores reflected different combinations of cold, hot, wet and windy conditions, alongside changing weather patterns.

Alicia Hempsted, car insurance expert at MoneySuperMarket, said the different combinations of weather risks showed that hazardous driving conditions affect cities in varied ways.

‘Unpredictable driving conditions caused by hazardous weather can affect motorists almost everywhere, which is why we’re encouraging every driver to build caution and planning into their journey.’

---

Be the first to know – Join our WhatsApp Channel for content worth tapping into! Click here to join!

---

Also read:

Cape Town weekend events: Road closures and traffic guide

Picture: Getty Images

The post Cape Town ranks third for risky driving weather appeared first on Cape Town ETC.