6 Tips For Driving In Wet Weather

Driving can be hazardous even on a beautiful crystal clear day with perfect road conditions. However, when you add wet weather into the mix, it can be downright dangerous. Luckily, there are a few ways that you can protect yourself and others while on the road in wet weather.

1. Give Yourself Extra Time

If your commute takes you a specific set of time on a normal day, you should get ready for it to take twice as long when the weather is bad. Not only will you need to drive more slowly in order to stay safe, but traffic may also be much heavier than what is normal. There are various factors such as accidents and flash flooding on the road that tends to really slow down the flow of traffic and you may encounter a backup with little notice. Instead of fretting about being late and making rash decisions, you should plan in advance and give yourself plenty of time to get there. If you do end up there early, you can always just kill some time by reading or grabbing some coffee.

2. Pay Extra Attention

You should normally devote as much attention as possible to the actual act of driving whenever you are behind the wheel, but it is not uncommon for motorists to find that their mind may wander a bit. However, when there is wet weather, you cannot afford to. Conditions can change immediately and you need to be fully alert.

3. Stay Away From The Cruise Control

While cruise control can be a wonderful tool to use when the roads are clear, it can actually be quite dangerous to use in wet weather. For example, if you hit a puddle that causes you to hydroplane while your car is in cruise control, this feature may actually cause your car to accelerate in an attempt to maintain a constant speed.

4. Know How To Properly Use Your Brakes In Wet Weather

Several accidents occur during rainstorms due to drivers not knowing how to make the best use of their brakes. Generally, what you need to keep in mind is that the wetness of the roads will decrease the amount of friction of the road. This means that if you end up slamming on the brakes, you will not get the friction you need to stop and will instead slide around. Instead, you will need to begin braking much earlier than you usually would and apply only a light pressure on the pedal until you can come to a spot.

5. Avoid Hazards Whenever Possible

When you have lived or drove through an area long enough, you begin to really know where every pothole and hill is without trying. So if you know that where you are going is prone to flooding, you should probably avoid that area as much as possible during wet weather. It may be a little inconvenient to take an alternate route, but your safety is worth it.

6. Pull Over If Necessary

At some point in your life, you will probably find a time where the weather is just too bad for you to continue driving. In this case, it is always wise to pull off to the side of the road and wait for conditions to improve. Make sure to keep your headlights on to warn other cars that you are there. You may end up being late to your destination, but your safety is always much more important than being on time.