Whether you’re a new driver or if you have been on the road for many years, wet weather driving is unavoidable. Here are eight tips to help you have a safer drive when on the road in wet weather:When you have a few spare minutes, you should ensure that your tires are properly inflated because you will want them to provide a good amount of traction on wet roads. When you check the tires, also be sure to check the spare.
1) When you have a few spare minutes, you should ensure that your tires are properly inflated because you will want them to provide a good amount of traction on wet roads. When you check the tires, also be sure to check the spare.
2) Also make sure that the windshield wiper inserts do not leave streaks. You also want to make sure that your windshield wipers will clear your glass in one swipe, so if they are lacking in either one of those abilities you may want to consider getting them replaced. The average driver gets new wipers every six months to one year.
3) Drive slow – You should drive slow in the rain because you don’t want your tires to rise up on a water film, also known as the process of hydroplaning. Your car may hydroplane on as little as 1/12 inch of water, and it might be good for you to know hydroplaning starts at 35 miles per hour (mph).
4) Don’t use cruise control. Many modern-day vehicles have this feature. It works fine in dry conditions, but in wet weather you should not use it. This is because your chances of losing control of your car will increase. You can’t lift the accelerator to reduce the vehicle’s speed if you are concerned about losing traction when you have the cruise control on, so it’s better to drive without the feature in wet weather.
5) Know where the defroster control is, a small button in the climate control with three arrows pointing up close to where your heat and air conditioning controls are. It is common for windshields to fog in wet weather, and because of that you want to be sure you can still see your way to make it to the destination in a safe manner.
6) Know how to react to skidding. Skidding can be scary for drivers, as they feel they have lost control of the car. However, that is not the case because there are ways out of it. The trick is that you keep an eye on the road in front of you where you want to go, and continue to steer in the direction that you would like the car to go. You also need to avoid slamming on the brakes because that will alter the vehicle’s balance and make it difficult to control.
7) If you go to car washes, wash your car by yourself after, particularly the windows. You don’t want the wax from the car wash to be sticking to the windows and thus obstructing your view while driving in rain. Also ensure you are cleaning your windshield’s interior.
Hopefully, these tips will prove useful next time you are driving in the rain!
Article Source: Premier Cape Cod