when driving in heavy rain drivers should use

#WHEN DRIVING IN HEAVY RAIN DRIVERS SHOULD USE HOW TO#
#WHEN DRIVING IN HEAVY RAIN DRIVERS SHOULD USE DRIVER#

If water is covering the markings on the road, it’s too deep to drive on. If you hydroplane under cruise control, the automatic acceleration can cause you to lose control of your vehicle when your tires regain traction. “If other people don’t like it, they can pass you.”Īnd remember: never use cruise control on wet roads. “The speed on the side of the highway is the maximum speed for perfect weather and perfect road conditions, so if the road is wet, it could be too fast for existing conditions,” says Solomon. Leave at least five seconds of following distance between your own car and the one in front, and don’t feel pressure to drive the posted speed limit.

You don’t, however, need to flip on your brights the brighter light will just reflect off wet surfaces, bouncing back into your eyes and irritating other drivers. “When you turn your headlights on and your back lights come on, you identify all four corners of the vehicle.” “The idea behind having headlights is so other people can see you,” says Solomon. Though many newer cars come with automatic running lights, turn on the actual headlights when using windshield wipers so your taillights come on as well. If it takes you through low-lying bridge underpasses or past ditches prone to flooding, it might be a good day to take the freeway instead. Take a moment to consider your route, too. You’ll squeegee up the water that’s caught in the road aggregate, and now your tires are wet and slick and you don’t even know it.” “This means it can rain and the road can look totally dry, but it’s not. In many southern states, “the asphalt isn’t as compressed,” Solomon explains. Roads are built to withstand different weather conditions in different parts of the country, so if you’re new to an area, use extra caution during or after a storm. “Rain or no rain, operating without, you’re a hazard-and it’s a ticketable offense,” he explains. Solomon also recommends doing a quick check of headlights, taillights, turn signals and tire treads before driving the car for the first time each day. Check the level of your washer fluid once a week. Once a month, clean the outsides and insides of windshields and windows, and check your windshield wiper blades for wear. When visibility is limited by wet weather, it’s important that your car itself doesn’t impede your sight.

#WHEN DRIVING IN HEAVY RAIN DRIVERS SHOULD USE DRIVER#

We asked James Solomon, a subject-matter expert on driver safety at the National Safety Council, to provide some common-sense safety tips for driving in the rain. Not to rain on your parade, but heavy downpours can be dangerous: more than half of flood fatalities are vehicle-related, according to the National Weather Service.

#WHEN DRIVING IN HEAVY RAIN DRIVERS SHOULD USE HOW TO#

While reducing speed is a crucial element of how to drive safely in wet conditions, there are several other techniques or considerations that motorists need to be aware of when driving in the rain. Many drivers will simply slow down as their only safety precaution when it begins to rain. Hazards and risks are elevated whenever it starts to rain, or even if roads are still wet from a recent downpour. Rain and wet road conditions are perhaps the worst conditions that most drivers will face on a regular basis.

When driving in heavy rain drivers should use