Except, of course, for grape crops and road safety.

Thursday marked a horror crash between an unladen semi-trailer and two cars on The Escort Way, near Amaroo Road, which left a 72-year-old male in surgery for serious head and internal injuries.

While we do not yet know the cause of the accident and police are still investigating, it serves as a reminder for all motorists to take care in adverse conditions.

There’s the water itself, but the rain also brings oil and other slippery nasties to the surface.

It’s harder to see the road ahead, your windscreen becomes foggy and your brakes are less effective.

Crashes across the western region clearly have emergency services worried. 

The road toll for the region prompted police to launch Operation West Force earlier this month, which boosted Highway Patrol numbers until April.

It might seem obvious, but until the rain lets up, letting up on the gas is a good idea, along with increasing the distance between you and the cars ahead.

In normal conditions, road experts recommend a three second gap, doubled to six seconds in the wet.

It’s not only speed either, drivers need to take extra care in all aspects of their driving by accelerating and steering smoothly and applying steady pressure on the brakes rather than slamming them on.

Make sure you can see and be seen – use your demister to keep your windows from fogging up and replace old windscreen wipers.

Especially in an area like ours where fog is common, turn on your lights – a video Orange City Council released last winter demonstrates just what a difference that makes.

Keep an eye out for water gathering in dips or unseen potholes, creating deceptively deep pools ready to make cars glide out of control.

But the most important thing is patience.

It might be tempting, especially on single-lane roads to speed up to 130km/h to overtake a truck during the limited overtaking lanes there are.

But all drivers are in the same boat when it’s wet and it’s so important that everyone has the chance to arrive home safely every time.