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Your Driving and the Road
144
Driving too fast through large water
puddles or even going through some car
washes can cause problems, too. The
water may affect your brakes. Try to
avoid puddles. But if you can't, try to
slow down before you hit them.
Hydroplaning
Hydroplaning is dangerous. So much
water can build up under your tires that
they can actually ride on the water. This
can happen if the road is wet enough
and you're going fast enough. When
your vehicle is hydroplaning, it has little
or no contact with the road.
Hydroplaning doesn't happen often.
But it can if your tires haven't much
tread or if the pressure in one or more is
low. It can happen if a lot of water is
standing on the road. If you can see
reflections from trees, telephone poles,
or other vehicles, and raindrops
"dimple" the water's surface, there
could be hydroplaning.
Hydroplaning usually happens at higher
speeds. There just isn't a hard and fast
rule about hydroplaning. The best
advice is to slow down when it is
raining.
Some Other Rainy Weather Tips
Turn on your low-beam headlights
-
not just your parking lights
-
to help
make you more visible to others.
Besides slowing down, allow some
extra following distance. And be
especially careful when you pass
another vehicle. Allow yourself more
clear room ahead, and be prepared to
have your view restricted by road
spray.
Have good tires with proper tread
depth. (See
Tires
in the Index.)
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