On normal driving days when the sun is shining and there’s a fresh breeze on the road should be the most ideal driving conditions. What if the weather turns and it turns into a mini-down pour that is very undesirable weather for most motorists. Between novice and veteran drivers who’ll know what to do! In most instances, there will be problems that degrade driving conditions to some degree.
Drivers will be familiar with several factors that will affect how they should react when wet weather comes.
a. Visibility
b. Hydroplaning effect
c. Road contact
d. travelling speed
c. All working lights
f. General alertness level
All these factors will determine how well most drivers can navigate through the lightest or heaviest of downpours. This is a real concern for those driving in tropical countries like the Philippines. There is only wet or dry weather with more concern when the monsoon season comes. Go over these steps and pointers that should help everyone manage better. Although more experienced drivers can manage better than novice drivers in the worst downpours!
1. Large areas of standing water should be avoided.
Keep a look out for areas where water covers part of the road. With the limited visibility and worst if it is night time that aggravates it worse. Driving in the daytime is no different because these expanses of water may have depressions and cause sudden braking! Other dangers are hidden pot holes that can damage tires too. Looking out as far as anyone can and following the areas with least water is the safest.
2. Distance is safety and never tailgate or have too close a distance when it rains.
Smart drivers will keep distance always when driving in any downpour. Logic dictates that cars within a safe distance can stop and adjust or move out of lane. Take note that keeping a safe distance from the lead car should be observed. If the bottom of the tires is seen, then it is still good. Increase the distance if the tail lights are too close for comfort. Always adjust for braking and distance to anticipate when to emergency brake.
3. Never use cruise control in wet weather and shut it down!
Some drivers might have the bright idea to use cruise control when in light, middle, or heavy rain! Using cruise control is only for good weather and with good visibility on the spot. Those who think of activating it will have a possibility of collision, just because they are too lazy to drive in alert mode. Shutting down the cruise control is a priority because a single mistake can cause a pile-up in wet weather! Be smart and use regular driving for most of the wet weather. Plus, braking power is limited with a wet set of disc brakes.
4. Be smart when using the brakes.
Get too eager on the brakes and the wheel will lose grip on the road. Not an ideal situation because chances of understeer or oversteer is a strong possibility. Step on the brake pedal nice and slow to let your foot off gradually! This is controlled braking to keep a good distance from cars ahead. Other drivers will be signaled to slow down and control their braking too. Never jam the brake pedal or you’ll spin out or slide because of lost traction on the road.
5. Make sure tires are well treaded and not too worn.
Do you know that there are specialized rain tires the take water out of the thread for better grip and control. If the tires need to be replaced so that it won’t slip and slide with the car running. All tires should be in good condition to remove water from the treads with optimal grip and control! Buying more expensive tire will have better anti-rain properties.
6. Replace all wiper blades that are worn out, when rainy season comes.
This is often neglected and it will cost little to replace. One of the simplest DIY to remove and replace that is done easily. Changing worn wipers is just as easy that is an inexpensive replacement which is easy to install with ease! Old and worn wipers will not bode well with problems in taking water from the windshield. It can also scratch the window glass in dry weather too.
7. Use two hands on the steering wheel not just one!
Some geniuses might use only one hand to steer which is terribly wrong and shouldn’t be done! Control the steering with two hands when in rainy weather to hold it tight. Planting one hand on it should be avoided because getting back control will be difficult at this stage. Regaining lost traction may happen and regaining control is best done with two hands.
8. Activate the defogger for both front and rear windows.
Glass windows can be fogged up by humidity caused by the rain and air in the car. Minimize the misted and fogged windows by turning on the AC with some windows open to lessen misting. Or the worst- case scenario is to pull over to wipe the windows clear. Another alternative is to turn on the heater until the mist evaporates. If defoggers are available to use for removing misty windows, do it too. Do all these to regain better visibility when in rainy weather.
9. Avoid hydroplaning on wet streets!
When tires rotate fast over water they rise over it to lose contact from the road. Don’t brake and don’t counter the rotation to slowly coax the vehicle straight with steering control. Hold onto the wheel and guide the car into a straight path.
10. Turn on lights when driving for better visibility.
Downpour whether light or heavy will cause some visibility problem for drivers. Turn on all light but use high beam if it is really needed. Don’t use hazard when driving in heavy or light rain except for having a problem with the car!
Ordinarily most drivers shouldn’t worry about maintaining traction when its dry. If it rains then all these top 8 steps to follow when driving in the rain is vital to minimize driving mishaps in wet weather. These skills for wet weather driving is also applicable in similar conditions with minimized traction as a condition. Be smart driver and learn it to handle driving in any circumstance.
© Photo by Bogdan Emelyanov
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