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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.
You might not be aware of
hydroplaning. You could drive along for
some time without realizing your tires
aren't in constant contact with the road.
You could find out the hard way: when
you have to slow, turn, move out to
pass
-
or if you get hit by a gust of
wind. You could suddenly find yourself
out of control.
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, and
be careful.
Some Other Rainy Weather Tips
Turn on your headlights
-
not just
your parking lights
-
to help make
you more visible to others.
Look for hard-to-see vehicles coming
from behind. You may want to use
your headlights even in daytime if it's
raining hard.
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. If the road spray is so heavy
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