Road Conditions, Weather and Night Driving
Rain and wet roads
Brunei's tropical downpours arrive suddenly and leave roads greasy, especially after a long dry spell when oil and rubber residue lift. Wet roads reduce grip and lengthen braking distance, so double your following gap, slow down, and switch on dipped headlights when visibility drops. Avoid standing water where depth is unknown; if you must cross, go slowly in a low gear and test the brakes afterwards. Aquaplaning feels like light steering and a floating car: ease off the accelerator, keep the wheel straight, and do not brake hard.
Night driving
At night, drive at a speed that lets you stop within the distance your headlights illuminate. Use dipped beams in town, in fog and when following or meeting traffic; use full beams only on unlit roads when no one is ahead or approaching. Do not stare at oncoming headlights - look toward the left edge of your lane. Keep windscreen and lights clean; glare is worse through a smeared screen.
Other conditions
Fog demands low speed, dipped lights and fog lights only when visibility is seriously reduced. Strong sun glare calls for a clean screen, a visor and reduced speed. Gravel, mud and oil patches reduce grip; brake and steer gently.
Traps in questions
A frequent trap is using full beams in fog or rain - it reflects back and blinds you; dipped beams are correct. Another is braking hard while aquaplaning. A third is assuming four-wheel drive improves stopping - it does not shorten braking distance on a wet road.
Worked example
Heavy rain starts and the steering suddenly feels light at 80 km/h. Correct response: ease off the accelerator smoothly, keep the wheel straight, wait for grip to return, then slow down and increase your following gap to at least four seconds.