Poor weather conditions can be a safety risk for any driver. Although many people may not realize it, driving through heavy rain and thunderstorms can be just as dangerous as driving through a winter blizzard. The roads are often slippery, visibility is low, and the risk of hydroplaning is much higher when you’re driving fast and the pavement is wet or flooded. There are a few things that every driver can do to help them stay safe when its raining. Take a look at these helpful tips:
Check The Forecast
If you’re about to get in your car and the weather looks a little questionable, check the forecast. If a storm or heavy rain is predicted and you can’t delay your trip, think about which route would be the safest to get you where you need to be. If driving in this rain becomes too difficult, don’t hesitate to pull over in a safe place to wait until the rain dies down a bit.
Keep Your Car In Proper Working Condition
No matter the weather or driving conditions, you should always have your car maintenance to make sure it is working its best. This, however, is extremely important when it is raining or storming. Before you start driving, be sure that your windshield wipers are functioning properly and your defrost works. Utilizing both of these features will help to increase your visibility on the road.
Slow Down
When you are driving through heavy rain, there is no need to speed and sometimes you may even want to drive slower than the speed limit. This will not only decrease your chances of skidding and hydroplaning but will also eliminate the amount of back-spray your tires give off to help keep other drivers safe.
Use Your Lights
Even if you are driving during the day when it starts to rain, turn on your lights to increase your ability to see and to help other drives better notice you. In addition, it may be beneficial to keep a few car lengths between you and the car in front of you just in case anything were to happen.
Stay Calm
Whenever you end up driving in poor weather or road conditions, its important to stay calm. These circumstances may sometimes be scary, but getting stressed out about the weather will only take away from your focus on driving. Like mentioned before, its okay to pull over until the weather holds off if you don’t feel comfortable driving through it.
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