Hydroplaning can happen to anyone. During the spring and summer months you may find yourself caught in a heavy downpour. As long as you are careful and keep your speed to a minimum, you shouldn’t have any problems but if you are not careful you could start to Hydroplane. Hydroplaning usually occurs when you are driving too fast or erratically in rainy conditions. Although, sometimes the rainfall can be so heavy that it cannot be avoided at any speed even when driving carefully. Driving at high speeds allows water to build up in front of the tire forming a barrier between it and the surface of the road. Once your tire loses traction it is essentially skipping across the top of the water without making contact with the pavement. When this happens you will have no control of the vehicle.
If you are hydroplaning, there is not much to do except let off on the gas and wait for the car to slow down. Do not swerve or apply the brake because that can make the situation worse.
There are a few things that you can do to help prevent hydroplaning and one of the most important is to replace any worn tires. Tire tread is crucial for decreasing the likely hood of hydroplaning and some tires even have tread that helps to force water through its channels to maintain traction. If a tire is worn smooth then it skims off the surface of the water much easier than one with a deep tire tread.
The next time that you inspect your car you should look for:
- A deep tire tread.
- Proper tire inflation. An underinflated tire will allow water to be trapped more easily and increase the chances for hydroplaning at lower speeds.
Make sure you talk to your local Marietta Auto service center and replace those worn tires before it’s too late!
