There are a lot of disadvantages when you drive in the rain. Indeed, you might encounter some unexpected things on the road, which makes drivers anxious and confused to some certain extent.
Yet, you can reduce these risks thanks to some specific tips as follows. If you do not know how to handle challenges in the rain, you should go through 5 safety tips to drive in the rain in this article.
Page Contents
What to Prepare Before Driving in The Rain?
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Braking
It is important to pay attention to the braking system before setting off in the rain. Nowadays, antilock braking has become popular thanks to its clever features.
Besides, you also may hear about the ABS systems. This system can track the levels of grip to control programs steadily. Also, it ensures that you are still safe even if you have an urgent stop.
In case your car does not have the ABS, you should pulse the pedal. By doing that, you can keep your car wheels out of locking up in the safest way until your car comes to a full stop.
Tires
As a braking system, tires also play an integral part in any car. Thus, drivers should equip their cars with suitable tires for wet conditions. When it comes to the tires, you need to check the water depth, the speed, and the tread depth. If you want to know how to check tread depth with a penny, you can find out at Tireer.com.
Cruise control
The cruise control is not for the wet weather. The reason is that if you use cruise control, your car might aquaplane and lose control then. So, it is better to take your car in control of yourself during the rain.
Some Important Ways for A Safe Drive in The Rain
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1. Keep your car’s windshield wipers turned on
The visibility when driving is very important, especially when it rains. Thus, the windshield wipers will be an effective tool for most drivers in the heavy shower. Indeed, it rains heavily, and the water will flow onto your car’s windshield, the view might be distorted.
This will make everything become further away, hindering the visibility of drivers. That is when the windshield wiper is helpful and ease the driving. Particularly, it removes the excess moisture, providing perfect visibility and always keeping everyone in the car safe.
As you may know, almost all cars nowadays are equipped with different options of speed for some types of rain. So, it is easier to deal with the pouring rain or even a light drizzle.
Besides, in some areas experiencing ice or hail, drivers should use some cleaning products in the fluid. By doing that, the windshield will be kept frost-free.
2. Slow down
It is dangerous if you drive fast in the rain. When the road is wet, your vehicle has to change the lower traction. Thus, it takes a longer time to react to turning and braking. Understanding this mechanism, you should keep your car speed at a low level when driving in wet conditions.
Specifically, you had better drive slower than the permitted speed limit. It is good for your car as it provides time for it to react. Moreover, it helps drivers to avoid unwanted and sudden incidents and accidents.
3. Beware of aquaplaning
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Aquaplaning or hydroplaning is a term to describe the situation in which the car loses control on wet roads. In other words, this phenomenon occurs if the car tires lose their traction.
This problem takes place quite often due to the extensive wear on the tires. Besides, driving more than 35 miles an hour also leads to this issue. And obviously, that are the reasons why some severe road accidents happen in wet weather.
How to avoid this problem? First, you should take your leg off the pedal. At the same time, you steer the car wheel straight calmly until you can regain control. Remember do not apply the brake to get control of hydroplaning tires back at once. If you try to do that on purpose, you will get into more trouble.
In some cases, your car might begin to spin. Instead, you should calm down and not turn the car wheel against the first spin’s direction. Just turn the car wheel slowly in the same direction. Moreover, do not jerk the vehicle wheels when regaining control.
Eventually, you ought to use the brake smoothly or stop your car to get assistance or even wait until the rain stops.
4. Use the AC system
You might feel confused when hearing that you should switch on the air conditioner during the rain. In some regions, the rain brings humidity before it turns into fog. The worst thing you have to experience during your drive in the heavy rain must be this fogging situation.
As the temperature outside does not match with that inside, your car will fog up. To avoid this problem, you had better turn your car AC on and set a certain temperature to match the outside.
By doing this, your car may stop fogging and you will get better visibility. But, in case it still does not work, it is better to pull your vehicle over and open some windows to ventilate a little bit.
5. Keep a suitable distance
Not only in the rain but also in normal condition, you should keep your car from a certain distance from the front vehicles. When the road is wet, your car tires will slip and skid before stopping or digging in.
Put it differently, you need to give time for your car to react and slow down. Then, it can come to a complete stop. The suitable distance is about 2-car space at least.
Closing thought
It is necessary to be conscious of the surroundings when you drive in wet weather. Above are 5 safety tips to drive in the rain that you should follow and share with your beloved ones. If you follow these tips, you might reduce some risks involved.
