4/13/2023 0 Comments Driving in heavy rainThis can make it difficult to see other cars, pedestrians, road signs and even the road itself. Light is scattered and reflected from headlights, as the light beams become weaker in rain. Although you should be more focused on what’s in front of you during a downpour, your side vision is still important - and when it gets put on the backburner, you can miss important details on the road. Peripheral vision may be affected when your focus shifts to the road ahead. If it’s raining hard enough, windshield wipers can have a hard time accommodating, leading to a windshield that you are unable to see clearly out of. Be mindful of your surroundings, as rain can cause you to experience the following effects:Ĭentral vision can become blocked in major conditions. Vision can be impaired by rainy conditions whether the precipitation is light, heavy or in between. READ MORE: How to drive safely after you turn 60 How does rain affect your vision on the road? Hard braking should be avoided to prevent losing control and damaging your vehicle’s brake system. Even splashing through puddles can be dangerous, as it decreases visibility for you and others on the road. Large amounts of standing water can even take over your car. Standing water can disguise road hazards such as potholes. Keep a greater distance between yourself and other vehicles and drive more slowly to accommodate. Reaction times are much slower in wet conditions, both for drivers and the controls of the car. It’s difficult to steer as this happens, and easy to lose control of the car. Hydroplaning causes your tires to lose traction with the road, floating on a thin layer of water instead. Department of Transportation’s Federal Highway Administration reported an average of 4,050 fatalities during wet-pavement-related crashes and 2,473 fatalities due to rain-related crashes.Īside from visibility, there are several other factors that can affect your driving in the rain: These hazards can affect anyone, from the newest to the most veteran drivers.īetween 20, the U.S. Delayed reaction times occur due to slickness, and hydroplaning is a serious threat. Dangers of driving in the rainĭriving in the rain can be a danger to the driver, passengers and the car itself because of the lack of visibility. Though it can be scary and dangerous to drive in such conditions, driving at safe speeds and being prepared with working windshield wipers and headlights can help increase your visibility on the road and prevent collisions. And when moisture is involved, there are several other things you must do to ensure your safety behind the wheel. Keeping your eyes on the road is critical, especially in unfavorable weather conditions. Staying attentive as a driver can help you avoid becoming part of this statistic. The two leading causes? Rain and wet pavement. Cruise control can cause loss of tire traction on wet or icy roads.More than 5,891,000 car accidents occur every year, and over 20% of them are due to weather-related causes. Do not use your cruise control on slippery road conditions.Avoid driving through deep water, always make sure you can see the road through any water.Your vehicle could be swept off the road. Never drive through deep, moving water.Watch out for places where floodwater collects, particularly low-lying roads adjacent to streams, and dips under rail or highway bridges.Glare of oncoming lights can cause temporary loss of visibility and increase driver fatigue on long trips. Avoid the glare of oncoming lights, by looking down to your right.High beams may reflect back and cause glare in heavy rain. On multi-lane highways, stay toward the middle lanes, since water tends to pool in outside lanes.In bad weather and on slippery roads, you need to increase your following distance to more than three seconds. When you need to stop or slow, take your foot off the accelerator to slow whenever possible or maintain mild pressure on the brake pedal.If you find yourself hydroplaning or skidding, ease your foot off the gas until the vehicle slows and you can feel traction on the road again.This can lead to uncontrolled skidding or drifting out of your lane. It means that your tires start riding on top of a thin layer of water. Hydroplaning occurs in heavy rain and fast speeds.Your tires can lose all contact with the road at speeds around 50 – 55 mph. Never overdrive your headlights and understand the risk of hydroplaning. That is why you should slow down at the first sign of rain. On hot days, heat causes oil in the asphalt to come to the surface. Many road pavements are the most slippery when it first starts to rain or snow because oil and dust have not yet washed away.These safety suggestions are also the most common questions and answers about driving in rain on your written knowledge exam. The following are common tips to drive safely in rain.
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