Safe Driving in the Rains
Introduction :
Driving in rains brings its own challenges as it poses various risks.
Most of the safe driving rules and safety features like ADAS,ABS,AEB,adaptive or normal cruise control etc work well on a dry sunny day. During rains,the limits of the above are tested and I would recommend not to test the limits of safety features. Let's study the key risks.
Visibility: During heavy rain,we may have reduced visibility. It's essential to have our wiper blades in condition and windshield washer filled.
Increase the following distance from vehicles in front as visibility can impact reaction time. If it's very heavy rain,take a break.
Hydroplaning: Tyres are the only contact with the road and hence it's essential to have sufficient Tyre grip available. Tyre grip depends upon the speed,Tyre inflation,Tyre tread depth,water depth, weather etc. As speed increases,the Tyre contact patch with road reduces.
In wet weather conditions and at high speed,tyres can lose contact with the road and the car doesn't respond to steering inputs as it just floats on water. We don't need a high amount of water to cause hydroplaning. A depth of 3 mm is sufficient to cause hydroplaning.
Tips to avoid hydroplaning:
Reduce speed as high speed can trigger hydroplaning as the tyre contact patch is less at high speed
Avoid slamming on brakes, allow the vehicle to slowdown normally and regain control
Have atleast 3 mm tyre tread. Bald tyres have more risk of hydroplaning but new tyres can hydroplane as well in more water and at high speed.
Increase following distance to 4-5 seconds. A safe following distance helps as braking efficiency will be impacted on wet roads.
Maintain CAS on all sides as other vehicles can hydroplane and come into our path as well.
Do not tailgate trucks or heavy vehicles like buses etc as the spray from their wheels can make us blind for a few seconds as seen here.
Also,be careful while overtaking heavy vehicles and try to avoid Overtaking when there's a puddle of water.
While Overtaking heavy vehicles,ensure that the path is clear ahead as the spray is little risky as we lose visibility for a few seconds.
Avoid tailgating bikers as if the bikers slip and fall,there's a risk of running over them.
Avoid spraying water on pedestrians,bikers as a courtesy for other users.
Road edges generally are designed to collect water,so avoid driving on road edges and on water puddles
What to do in case you had hydroplaned?
Don't panic
Avoid harsh braking as it may make the vehicle lose out of control
Take foot off accelerator and let the vehicle slow down
Once the vehicle regained control,you can drive slowly
What else can be done?
Turn off cruise control as the vehicle may increase speed assuming that the speed is reducing due to water blockage
ADAS features like AEB are not effective as it cannot prevent spray and may harsh brake, taking vehicle out of control
ESC may work
Another example, Avoid unnecessary overtaking and maintain CAS.
Avoid overtaking on a puddle of water.