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| Actual photo of my cousin, the Facebook caption read "wish I took pics of my arms, they were much worse" |
have gotten me thinking about hydroplaning. I’ve felt it happen before but only for a few seconds. Two years ago my cousin actually hydroplaned on a major highway and crashed into the guardrail. Luckily nobody was badly injured but they needed to use the Jaws of Life to get her out of the driver’s seat and she suffered from various cuts from glass shards.
So what exactly is hydroplaning? Well, when roads are wet traction is diminished. When a layer of standing water builds between the tires and the pavement you lose even more traction which causes the vehicle to stop responding to control inputs like the steering wheel and brakes. When all four tires hydroplane simultaneously, attempting to maneuver the car is similar to operating an uncontrollable sled.
Safety and prevention are always better than dealing with the aftermath.
Ways to prevent hydroplaning include:
- Making sure your tires are at the proper pressure.
- Using narrow and unworn tires; always replace balding tires.
- Driving below the speed limit.
The speeds posted are generally calculated for drier weather and
less slippery terrain. - Avoiding standing water if you are aware of it.
If you find yourself hydroplaning, try to keep your natural instincts from kicking in as attempting to control the vehicle can be counterproductive:
- NEVER slam on the brakes
- Easing off the accelerator may slow down the vehicle enough to regain traction if the car is not in a turn.
- Trying to steer may cause the car to skid which is even more difficult to recover from. If breaking is unavoidable do it very smoothly and prepare for instability.
- Over-steering occurs when the car turns more than the driver wants it to. If this happens the driver should steer in the direction of the skid until traction is regained and then rapidly steer in the opposite direction to straighten the vehicle.
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