Rain and wet roads can reduce vehicle traction and affect your ability to stop
and accelerate. Always drive slower in these types of driving conditions and avoid
driving through large puddles and deep-standing or flowing water.
Caution: Wet brakes can cause crashes. They might not work as well in a quick stop
and could cause pulling to one side. You could lose control of the vehicle.
After driving through a large puddle of water or a car/vehicle wash, lightly
apply the brake pedal until the brakes work normally.
Flowing or rushing water creates strong forces. Driving through flowing water
could cause your vehicle to be carried away. If this happens, you and other vehicle
occupants could drown. Do not ignore police warnings and be very cautious about trying
to drive through flowing water.
Hydroplaning
Hydroplaning is dangerous. Water can build up under your vehicle's tires so
they actually ride on the water. This can happen if the road is wet enough and you
are going fast enough. When your vehicle is hydroplaning, it has little or no contact
with the road.
There is no hard and fast rule about hydroplaning. The best advice is to slow
down when the road is wet.
Other Rainy Weather Tips
Besides slowing down, other wet weather driving tips include:
| • | Allow extra following distance. |
| • | Keep windshield wiping equipment in good shape. |
| • | Keep the windshield washer fluid reservoir filled. |
| • | Have good tires with proper tread depth. See
Tires
. |
| • | Turn off cruise control. |
