Wet Weather Driving Tips
Driving in any wet weather is considerably more dangerous than driving when the weather is dry. Poor visibility, lower levels of grip and the chance of hitting deep puddles are just some of the problems a driver needs to deal with.
The good news is that modern technology has helped make wet driving
Take a moment to review these tips for wet-weather driving.
Get Your Car Rain-Ready: Tire tread is key. Use a quarter to test your tire's tread. Insert it upside down into your tire tread. "If part of Washington's head is always covered by the tread, your tires have more than 4/32 of an inch of tread remaining. If the top of Washington's head is exposed at any point, you should replace the tires."
According to NHTSA, tires with 2/32 of an inch of tread are unsafe. However, you may want to replace tires before they get this worn, depending on driving conditions.
• Tire pressure is important, too, he says. You should check the pressure once a month, using a tire gauge. NHTSA offers many other tire safety facts.
• Check your windshield wipers to be sure they're up to the task. If they need replacing and you're doing it yourself, you can check online guides to be sure you're doing it correctly.
• Check headlights, taillights, brake lights and turn signals to be sure all are working properly. When you're driving, turn on your headlights to boost your visibility. Some states require the use of headlights when windshield wipers are in use.
Slow down: Driving too fast for conditions is especially dangerous on wet pavement because your tires lose traction with the precipitation, Van Tassel says. "When roadways are wet, the friction is reduced between the tire and the road,'' Hersman adds. No friction is a bad thing. Tires are meant to grip the roads, not slide on them.
How much does traction decline in wet weather? "You might lose about one-third of your traction," Van Tassel says. And that figure is why this recommendation makes sense: Reduce your speed by about a third when it's wet or rainy. Focus on staying 3-4 seconds behind the vehicle in front of you in dry conditions. Watch the vehicle in front of you as it passes a fixed marker, such as a street light. Then count 3 seconds. Add more time if it's raining, staying about 5 seconds behind.
For each additional driving challenge, add another second, Van Tassel says. If it's raining and you are driving at night, you should aim to be 6 seconds behind the vehicle in front of you.
If possible - and in heavy traffic, it might not always be - try to keep from being boxed in by cars in the lanes on either side of you. If you have space on either side of your car, you have an easy out in case the vehicle ahead of you stops suddenly.
