What is hydroplaning and how to avoid it

When roads are wet, there is a chance that your car might lose traction which could result in an accident. That is why it’s always important to be extra attentive when driving on a rainy day as water on roads will present the risk of hydroplaning. Basically, hydroplaning occurs when your tires lose contact with the road, therefore affecting your car’s steering and braking. 

This can be very dangerous. With that said, we’re going to familiarize you with hydroplaning, by tackling its causes, how does it happen, how to avoid it, and what to do if ever you are to experience it. Let’s proceed. 

Your car might hydroplane when you drive through any wet road. Locally, this could be experienced during rainy days and in other countries, cars can also hydroplane during the snow.

Hydroplaning occurs when the tires start floating above the water, instead of cutting through and displacing water which affects on-road traction. With that, you can completely lose control of your car, the worst-case scenario is that your vehicle might even spin in a straight line if you failed to respond properly.

• Check if your tires have adequate tread depth - Properly maintaining your tires does reward you and your passenger with better safety. Having adequate tread allows it to move the excess water away from the tires, which should reduce the risk of hydroplaning.
• Rotate your tires to evenly distribute tread wear - Rotating your car’s tires at their recommended intervals will maintain its tread depth. 
• Don’t drive your tires past their lifespan or tread wear indicator - Remember, your tires are a safety feature that’s quite expensive to buy but it’s a worthy investment for your car. Do not let it go past its life span. have the urge to replace it immediately in order to spare yourself and your passenger from danger. 
• Slow down - Reduce your speed, do not go faster as it will be harder for your tires to push away the water. 
• Pay attention to the cars in front of you - Observing the cars in front of you should give you an idea of the current road condition. If you see a lot of water coming from their tires, that means that the lane you’re driving on has an excessive amount of water which can be dangerous. It’s either you slow down or just change your lane. 
• Do not use your cruise control - We advise you not to use your cruise control during rainy days, as using this feature runs and maintains your car at a certain speed. 

Now, if you happen to experience this, here are some ways on how you should react to the situation:

• Keep calm.
• Don’t hit the brakes abruptly, instead, progressively press the pedal.
• Minimal steering application is needed.
• Gently lift the gas to hopefully restore your control of the car.
• Once you’ve regained control of your vehicle, breathe and revert your focus on the road.