4 Tips For Driving In the Rain
Whether it is a heavy downpour or just a sprinkle, driving in the rain is not an easy situation for a driver. The majority of road accidents take place during rainy weather. There are times when one has no choice but to drive while it’s raining, no matter where in the world you live.
That is why it is essential to be educated about how reduced visibility and wet roads can affect a vehicle’s movement. Listed below are four crucial tips that can help you during the rainy season when it comes to driving safely. Read on to find out more.
Four Tips For When You Have To Drive During Rainfall
1. When You Have To Drive In Unsafe Conditions
Before anything, if the conditions are too dangerous for you to drive, then the best thing would be to wait until the weather gets better. This means pulling over and stopping your vehicle if you are already outside. If you have to be somewhere, it is better to wait rather than risk getting into an accident.
It might seem like you’re in control of the vehicle, but you have to think about the other cars and their drivers and see if it’s worth driving at that time. It is best if you avoid driving your vehicle during extreme weather conditions, like heavy rainfall, unless it’s an emergency or absolutely necessary.
2. When You Have To Drive Through Water
You shouldn’t be driving through any water, whether it’s raining or not. In case you come across a particular location covered with water, then the best thing is to stop and turn around to find a dry and safer road. In these conditions, you don’t know how deep that water is; hence it is best to avoid that route altogether.
Plus, this can be more dangerous if it is already raining. Therefore, finding a different road is always a better option. However, if you do end up driving through flowing or standing water, you would need to dry your vehicle’s brakes before you continue to drive.
To dry your brakes, you would need to apply your brakes lightly. However, if you don’t dry your brakes and have to stop suddenly while driving down the road, then there’s the risk of you not having full function of the brakes when needed.
3. When Your Vehicle Is Aquaplaning
Aquaplaning, or hydroplaning, is when the vehicle is not heavy enough to push the water out of its way; this results in water build-up in front of the tire, and the vehicle will slightly lift off the road. Hence, the vehicle ends up skidding or drifting out of the lane.
In this situation, the driver shouldn’t panic and know what is happening to avoid quickly turning or suddenly applying the brakes. The best thing to do is reduce the speed and apply the brakes using light pumping action if needed.
On the other hand, if you lose complete control, you can’t do much besides applying firm and steady pressure on the brakes to steer the vehicle in the direction of the skid.
However, trying to avoid aquaplaning is the best option. This means slowing down while it’s raining, making sure that the tires are properly inflated, not driving in standing water, and trying to direct the vehicle onto the tracks of the vehicle that’s at the front.
4. Keeping A Safe Distance
You must keep a safe following distance between your vehicle and the car that’s in front of you while driving in wet rainy conditions. This is because it will take a lot longer to stop the vehicle on a wet road. It will take longer for your car to completely stop when applying the brakes; hence, a good distance is crucial.
You should stay on the tracks of the vehicle at the front since there’s going to be less water in that section of your road. Reduce the speed of your vehicle and avoid using the brakes if possible. Keep your vehicle’s lights on so that both you and the others can see your vehicle plus the road clearly. Take a look at this YouTube video on How To Drive Safely In The Rain to know more about how to safely drive during rainfall.
Do This Before Going Out
Before you go out in the rain, make sure that your car is ready to face any obstacles that might come your way. To do that, you need to check the four crucial components of your vehicle.
Check Your Tires
Make sure your tires are correctly inflated and have good air pressure before you take your vehicle out. The recommended air pressure should be listed in your vehicle’s manual. Plus, your tires should have deep enough tread when you drive in the rain so that you stay safe.
Check Your Lights
Despite having your lights turned on while traveling through water, heavy rainfall can make it quite challenging for the driver to see what’s happening in front of them. Hence, take a look at all of your lights to ensure that they are working correctly; this includes your taillights, headlights, DRLs, brake lights, fog lights, and your cabin light.
Obviously, wipers play a crucial role while driving in the rain; hence, it is essential to make sure that they are correctly functioning. Ensure that the washers aren’t clogged, so you won’t have any trouble spraying the water plus cleaning liquid onto your windshield when it rains.
Check Your Air Conditioning
Due to the windows being rolled up, the air circulation inside the vehicle can get reduced. Hence, this results in foggy windows and windshields, which can be extremely dangerous while driving.
Turning the air conditioning on and keeping the temperature inside the car the same as outside will prevent the windows and windshield from fogging up. Not to mention, the AC will also bring in the fresh air.
Conclusion
Driving in the rain can be difficult; however, it is the driver’s job to ensure that both they and the others around them are safe when on the road. When you respect the road conditions and drive according to that, you will significantly reduce the risk of road accidents.
