Driving in rainy weather can be extremely dangerous, not simply due to your own driving, but also the driving of others. These conditions can be notoriously bad due to lack of functioning brakes, and little to no visibility. There are several ways, however, that an individual can drive safer and more cautiously during bad weather:
DRIVE SLOWLY
Driving too quickly during a rainstorm stops you from gaining control of the situation. Driving fast multiplies the chance of an accident, and it should be noted that it actually decreases visibility even more than driving at a regular pace would. And finally, when you drive slow, you have a much faster reaction time and are able to avoid imminent collisions.
PAY ATTENTION
You need to pay attention to every detail of your surroundings. It’s incredible how quickly an incident can occur when doing anything that takes your attention away for even just one second. This being said, when you pay attention to your surroundings, you can become more aware of any oncoming traffic, and traffic ahead slowing down/stopping.
LEAVE PLENTY OF SPACE
When it rains, it’s very difficult to stop quickly enough before you hit something/someone in front of you. Therefore, it is ideal to leave plenty of room between you and the vehicle in front of you.
BRAKE SLOWLY
The first thing that comes to mind when in need of coming to a complete stop, or if you must think and act quickly, is the “hit the brakes!” notion. However, it is important to brake much slower than you normally would during dry weather and roads. Braking too quickly will cause the car to hydroplane, meaning it will not stop and instead lose total control. Taking the last three points into consideration, driving slowly, paying attention, and leaving space gaps, can all help you stop the car before hitting the obstruction. Have mobile brake service experts at GoWrench Auto visit you to provide you with quality brake service.
ENSURE QUALITY TREADS
Treads on your tires do wear down, and when they do, they become incredibly slippery in bad weather. Changing your treads every 5 years or less can increase your ability to sustain control on the roads, and in turn will prevent injury.
Well, we've reached 5...but you can never be too careful!
DRIVE IN TRACKS
When you are driving in the rain, you may see tracks of the cars driving ahead of you in the road. This will only happen in reasonably high-traffic roadways. The reason you want to drive in these tracks is due to their tenancy to have increased traction – traction which is caused by the slight dryness of the roadway compared to anywhere else.
STAY OFF THE ROAD ENTIRELY
This can be unavoidable at times, but checking the weather in advance of your road trips can allow you to gauge how dangerous it might be to drive. When you can, attempt to schedule your driving in and around times of rainstorms and other bad weather conditions.
AVOID GETTING CLOSE TO LARGE VEHICLES
Getting close to large vehicles leaves you open to the spray and debris from coming off the truck and its tires. This decreases visibility even more and can increase your chance of an accident tenfold.
With the help of this article, you can have a much better time driving through treacherous conditions. Rainy driving is incredibly dangerous, but if it needs to occur, then you can make sure you are driving as cautiously as possible. Lastly, if you ever need your vehicle fixed then REQUEST A REPAIR or call us at 1-866-493-1342.