8 Tips for driving safely on wet roads to help you cope with wet roads and seasonal storms:
Driving on Wets roads can be treacherous. Attention to simple mechanical maintenance and taking extra care in how you drive will dramatically improve your safety. None of the tips that follow are difficult.
Here are 8 simple but effective tips for driving on wet roads.
1.) Check Tires: Make sure tires have enough tread depth and are properly inflated. Proper inflation and safe tread depth provide your vehicle better traction and manoeuvrability on the road. Tires with worn and shallow tread are much more likely to hydroplane on wet pavement, robbing your vehicles braking ability and steering control. Check the tread depth or come in and we will check your tread depth for you.
2.) Slow Down, Just like driving in winter, driving in rain can be just as dangerous. Slowing down during wet driving conditions is critical to reducing a car’s chance of hydroplaning. Hydroplaning is when your tires float on the water laying on the road instead of riding on the pavement below that provides friction and grip. With as little as ½ inch of water on the road, tires have to displace a gallon of water per second to keep the rubber meeting the road. Even at speeds as low as 40 kilometres per hour, new tires can still lose some contact with the roadway so slowing down is one of your best remedies to safe driving.
3.) Leave Room: Allow extra stopping distance between cars by increasing the distance between your vehicle and the vehicle in front you. This also means beginning to slow down early when stopping for intersections, making turns or approaching traffic. Even though todays vehicles are technologically superior to those of past physics is physics and wet conditions affect stopping distances.
4.) Avoid Cruise Control: In wet conditions, the chance of losing control of the vehicle increases. Cancelling cruise control requires extra time to push a button or engage the brakes both are dangerous on slippery roads and when visibility may be reduced.
5,) Low Visibility: Make sure your headlights are on to help you see better and so other vehicles see you. Avoid using your high beams because the extra light will reflect off the rain could blind other drivers and may cause more of a distraction for you. If you can’t see the edges of the road or other vehicles at a safe distance while driving, pull off the road as far as you can and wait for the rain to ease up. Make sure to turn on emergency flashers to alert other drivers.
6.) Do NOT drive with hazard lights on: This is a common error many drivers make while driving in the rain in an attempt to help be seen. However, hazard lights are supposed to be used by vehicles that are disabled on the side of the road. Turning on your hazards while driving can confuse approaching motorists and cause a crash.
7.) Avoid standing water: There is no way to tell how deep standing water is on a flooded road and driving through it can cause a vehicle to stall and result in severe damage to the vehicle.
8.) If you stall in a flooded area: DO NOT remain in the car. Abandon it as soon as possible and seek higher ground. Flood waters can elevate quickly, sweeping away the vehicle and its occupants. If you leave your car be sure to turn on your hazard lights to alert approaching drives.
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2020